The Prince and The Bandit
by Evil Pajamas
Summary: RxS A prince and a bandit are never supposed to fall in love. These two found that out the hard way and were killed. But apparently they turned out to be the perfect pawns in a game that is played between the God of Chaos and the God of Love.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy**

**Dark:** It took _forever_ to write this. Okay, actually it only took like three days, but I spent 36 hours on this. I'm...pretty happy about how it turned out. True, I think I could have made it better, but I wanted to post it up so I could start working on the first chapter. And don't expect it immediatly. Truthfully, I need to figure out the plot, which I forget to make while I was writing this prologue (cough cough). Alright, well this is the Prologue to The Prince and The Bandit. Read and Review!

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_I don't remember how it started, but a rumor began getting passed around the kingdom. It was a rumor about seven bandits who had the power to make entire kingdoms vanish in under three days. At first, I thought it was a lie. No army, let alone seven people, had that sort of power. But then I began to notice something; nearby kingdoms were all being overthrown by an unknown source, the kings and princes of these kingdoms killed in their own rooms. That was around the time I began to believe these rumors; but what really made it clear was when one of these bandits fell in love with me. And _that _would be when everything…started to become horribly wrong._

Prologue

"Riku…you're supposed to be keeping watch."  
"What are you bitching about? I am keeping watch."  
"No, you're not. You're staring at the prince's window…"

A cold glare was sent to the blonde sitting not a few feet away, that in turn raised an eyebrow at the gaze currently being given to him. It had been like this for the last three days. Every sense they arrived and Riku had seen the prince at his window, all the boy could do was stare up longingly at the glass panels, hoping to see the princes smiling face again. In truth, it was rather pathetic. One of the feared Seven Bandits acting like a love struck wench who was on the verge of loosing her innocence.

As Riku turned back to stare at the scenery around them, it was all too obvious that his gaze would soon fall upon the window high above on the castle wall, for the blonde had seen it happen many times. The rustling sound of leaves were heard and the blonde tensed, glancing towards the one who approached before sighing. "Tifa…? Why are you out here? It isn't time to switch look outs…"

The brunette known as Tifa smiled, a hand going up to push the strands of hair from her face as a wind swept past, blowing the leaves in small spirals around where they sat. "No. The others are all preparing for the 'big day' I guess you could say. But Cloud…how about you and I take over for Riku?"

The blonde finally identified as Cloud frowned, the odd glow of his eyes seeming to only intensify as they glanced towards Riku. It surprised him how well Tifa had gotten at giving the aqua eyed boy opportunities to see the prince. But he didn't bother asking her about why she always gave him the chance. She could just deny it and say that she wanted to be alone with him, all to herself for once instead of him being with Leon or Sephiroth, but he knew that would be a lie. Tifa and he were too good as friends to do more then get close and watch the stars. Or rather, watch Riku try to scale the castle wall sense they would have a perfect view of it.

Cloud gave a deep sigh as if he were forced into this decision, making a shooing motion towards the aqua eyed lad currently watching him hopefully. Riku grinned and ran off in the direction of the castle walls, Cloud standing up and putting his hands around his mouth. "Riku! Be back at dawn! And be careful!"

A hand only waved back to them, before the boy disappeared into the cover of the trees, leaving the blonde to lower his arms and place a hand on a hip. "Reckless…"

A pair of arms wrapped around one of his, hugging his bicep into the space between Tifa's breasts, the woman giving a small laugh. "I remember you used to be like that. Only…the window you were looking though didn't have a prince. And the first person you thought you loved wasn't a man while the second one is."

Cloud glanced over to the smiling brunette, wondering how she could look so happy, especially when the first person she was talking about was herself. He opened his mouth to ask her if she regretted his decision before she shook her head to stop him from saying anything. "Cloud…I'm just happy to be with you, okay? As long as I can be by your side, lover or not, I'll be happy."

He shared with her one of those rare smiles before staring off into the shadows of the woods, silently praying that this ominous feeling would soon pass.

"Why do they have to make these damn castles so fucking high? It's not like you'd be anymore safe up here, you stupid rich snobs." Riku glanced down the way he had come, feeling a small wave of fear at the pain of falling from all the way up here. It had taken only a few minutes to get to the wall and scale it, proving that either he was highly skilled or drunk with longing more then even Cloud had originally thought.

Cloud…Tifa had once told him a story about Cloud. About how when they were younger, they lived in the same town and every night for half a year, Cloud had watched her window in hopes of seeing her. But once they had become friends, Tifa had noticed he acted very odd whenever they were together. So one night she kissed him and neither of them felt anything other then the touch of lips. When Cloud asked why she'd done that, Tifa had only said for him to find the person he was really hoping to see. And that she would always be there if he needed her. So when Cloud finally found the person, she wasn't surprised. She'd even joined the group of bandits when he asked her to join with him.

With a glance back to where the two of them were sitting, Riku frowned. "In my opinion, Cloud's a hypocrite. But Tifa isn't a bad person so there must be something good about that blonde bastard. Don't know what it is, but it's something."

It was very silent on the balcony outside the prince's window. Quiet enough to even make the gods themselves wary of an approaching attack. But Riku ignored the feelings of dread, opening the window with a small push and slowly entering the room. He glanced around carefully and took a step forward, pausing as he heard the silent scrape of clothing being pressed against the wall. A smirk lighted his face and he reached behind him, fingers gently brushing the glass planes as he closed the window. Riku ducked as the object the figure that had been hiding behind the window held, turning quickly while they were off guard to push them against the wall.

The prince gasped as the pan he'd snuck into the room fell to the floor, a ding echoing before silence met the room. Riku glanced to the door, the princes' wrists held above his head in a strong hand while the other was clamped over his mouth, muffling the shouts currently being made. Sure that no one was coming, aqua green eyes turned to stare into the angry sapphires glaring up at him, small tears beginning to gather at the corner. "Hmm…so the mighty prince of Destiny Castle is afraid? And here I thought you weren't afraid of anything."

The prince yanked his head to the side, released from the bandits grip before turning back to glare up at him. "Afraid? Oh who, a petty bandit? I fear nothing, especially not you!"

Riku laughed, leaning down and licking the small tear that had begun to slide down the princes' cheek. "Oh, but you should. For all you know, I could rape you, molest you and do plenty of naughty, horrible things to you. But then again, you might like those sort of things, huh princess?"

The prince blinked up at him, a small tint of red lighting his face before he glared at Riku, trying to get his hands free from the bandits grip. But realizing it hopeless to escape from the strong grasp, he settled with just staring up at him angrily. "Don't call me princess! I am not a female and no, I don't like that sort of thing."

Riku tilted his head and examined him, leaning in close enough to where the prince turned his head to the side and watched him from the corners of his eyes. "But you're so pretty. What's your name…?"

He mumbled something, glancing away and Riku turned his head a little, trying to fight the smirk his lips were currently making. "I beg your pardon?"

"…Sora."  
"Sora? Isn't that a girl's name?"  
"No, it isn't!"  
"Yeah, I think it is. Mean's songbird if I'm not mistaken."

The prince who had been announced as Sora just glared up at him, glancing towards the door as a noise was made outside its wooden barrier. Riku also turned towards the door, Sora taking this distraction to break free from the bandits hands and punch him, making a run for the door. But as his hand grasped the handle of the door, a hand slammed down on the wooden panels, a body pressing against his back as a warm breath fell upon his cheek. "That. Was rude."

Sora gasped as he was turned around, slammed against the door as Riku pressed himself closer. He clenched his eyes shut, opening his mouth to scream before his cry was cut off, lips being smashed by the bandits own before him. The fabric of Riku's shirt was gripped in Sora's hands, pushing at the bandits chest in a poor attempt to get him away. But his efforts were in vain as the insides of his mouth were ravished, only being released when both needed to breathe, Riku staring down at him as Sora panted and small flecks of tears skid down his cheeks.

He leaned down slowly, Sora wincing before blinking his eyes open as Riku licked the tears from his face, the bandit staring down into the confused sapphire orbs before pulling the prince into a hug. "Sorry...but you see what happens when you hit an outlaw?"

And eyebrow rose in confusion, glancing to the bandit holding him close before his own hands wrapped around his shoulders, eyes closing with a sigh. There was silence between them for a few moments, neither making a sound; both thought that it either of them spoke, the time that had seemed to freeze would began again. But finally the prince broke the silence. "Why…have you been watching me?"

"Ah…so you noticed that, huh?"  
"It was obvious. You and that blonde guy."  
"Well…I know this sounds farfetched, but I think I fell in love with you."  
"What? All you did was see me. That's impossible."

Sora pushed him away, staring up at the aqua glow of his eyes. "You're a bandit. In fact, you're one of the Seven Bandits because there are seven of you down in those trees. And for all I know, you could be using me to lure my father and I out into the forest to die."

The prince blinked as Riku's hands cupped his face, a small smile appearing on the bandit's face. "Sora…why would I lie? If I was here to kill you, this kingdom would be overthrown by now. You've heard the rumors and the stories of us. If I was here to kill you, I still wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have come to see you alone."

Both stared at each other in silence, Riku leaning down slowly, his lips hovering inches away from the prince's. Sora studied the bandit in front of him carefully, trying to find any secrets he might be hiding before his own hands folded over the ones on his cheeks, closing the distance between them. The kiss had started chaste, just a simple kiss. But it didn't take long before Sora was on his back on the bed, one hand gripping the sheets while the other pressed down against the pale skin of Riku's back. His breath was leaving him is quick gasps at the power of the bandits lust, lips pressed against the princes' neck as moans filled the room.

Both were hidden by the covers when the sun peaked over the horizon and that's how they were found. Cloud sighed as he watched them sleep, glowing eyes sweeping over their frames outlined under the sheets. The one he assumed was the prince was cuddled against Riku's chest, hidden from view, though even from here Cloud could tell he was pretty. Wasn't a surprise Riku had fallen for him so quickly. A hand clapped down on his shoulder, causing him to glance to the blonde at his side, a girl who by far was trying very hard not to squeal in delight at the romantic mood that had been set. "Aw! Cloud, can we _please _let them sleep for just a little bit longer? I mean…look at them!"

A hand went to his temple, sighing in irritation. "Rikku, you should know _very _well we can't let Riku stay here. After close inspection of this castle, it turns out that the king isn't even here. We have to move on before they find where we are camped out; meaning Riku has to come with us. So shut up and wake him up."

The blonde named Rikku gave Cloud a pout before walking towards the sleeping pair and gently shaking the silver haired bandit. In truth, Cloud really didn't want to disturb them either. But they needed to go before they endangered themselves and the prince, who could be called a traitor for falling prey to Riku's charm. He doubted the kid had become prey to anything but his own feelings; but no one else would see it like that. Only they would understand and they were evil in the monarchy eyes.

Riku opened his aqua green eyes slowly, glancing back to Rikku before jumping up suddenly at seeing the sun already up. But he relaxed as Cloud shook his head, turning back to look at Sora who had opened his eyes half way at the sudden lack of warmth beside him. His sapphire orbs watched Riku before turning towards the smiling blonde beside the bed, gasping and wrapping the covers around him. "Um…?"

"Oh! I'm so sorry, did I startle you? My name is Rikku, one of the seven. And that grumpy, has-a-stick-up-his-ass guy over there is Cloud," she pointed towards the male, only to get the finger before turning back towards Sora who had rose an eyebrow. Rikku studied him for a moment, reaching a hand out to gently tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. "You know…Riku had said you were cute. But I didn't believe him. Now I do."

Sora stared at her before smiling, glancing towards Riku as he began gathering his clothes and getting dressed. "Funny. I don't remember anything about the rumors saying you guys were nice."

Riku and the girl now seated on the bed next to Sora laughed, Cloud leaning against the wall as he spoke. "Only a few of us are. Tifa, one of the seven, thought it would be better if someone nice had came with me to wake Riku up and bring him back. Granted, I'm not a very friendly face to see when you wake up, so Rikku got the honors of it. Anyone besides her and you would have probably jumped out of you skin."

A frown settled on Sora's face and he turned towards Riku as he pulled his shoes on. "You're all…leaving?"

"Yeah. We were here for the night to see if the king was here, but he isn't so we're leaving for another kingdom. No point in staying anywhere if we can't do our job, even if it's to be with you. I'm sorry Sora. But I have to go."

As he stood, a hand gripped his wrist, earning a blink as Riku turned to stare at Sora. The prince stared at him, his grasp tight. "Can I go with you?"

Riku opened his mouth, only to close it again and sigh as he looked away. The prince moved closer, sheets around him as he now gripped the wrist with both hands. "Please? Don't leave me here, Riku! I want to be with you…and I don't care where we go or what you do, just as long as I'm with you!"

Cloud stared at the boy, the words ringing in his head as he remembered the previous night that he shared on watch with Tifa. The prince…was one of those rare people who everyone grew to love. It was obvious just by the way he returned Riku's feelings by meeting him for one night. He glanced to Rikku as she frowned and looked towards Cloud, blinking as the blonde approached the couple.

Just as Riku opened his mouth, a hand gently landed on the boys shoulder, causing him to turn towards the blonde suddenly standing beside him. The glowing orbs that all the rumors said he possessed bored deep into Sora's eyes, freezing him in place as the blonde leaned closer, lips beside his ear and breath warm on his neck. "If we allow you to come, you will be an outlaw. A criminal to the monarchy power. And you are willing to accept this, ready to throw away the cushioned life you were given at birth?"

The trance he seemed to be in was broken as Sora glared into Cloud's eyes, fighting the shiver that tried to work it's way up his back at the chill expression on his face. "I'm not a wimp! If being with Riku mean's I'll be throwing my life away, then so be it! I'm…I'm prepared for whatever awaits me."

Silence was greeted to the room as Cloud and Sora stared at each other, both trying to understand what the other was thinking. But moments later and Cloud closed his eyes, smiling and giving a low laugh, something that earned wide eyes from both Riku and Rikku. He stood up, turning towards Riku and giving a nod as he walked towards the window, Rikku following with a quiet yip of joy. Riku just stared after Cloud before smiling and holding his hand out towards Sora. "Alright, brat. Get dressed and I'll help you down the wall."

Sora stared at the hand before taking it slowly, looking up to Riku. "And you'll protect me, right? You promise?"

"I promise. I'll protect you from everything. Even if it means giving up my own life."

It took all of five minutes for Sora to get dressed, wearing a baggy shirt and pants that hide his royal self nicely as the three bandits helped him down the castle walls. Though he did get a few scrapes here and there, it was nice to see that he made no complaints about having to climb downwards and that even earned him some respect from the three accompanying him. If someone raised in royalty who had probably never gotten hurt before doesn't complain at a small scratch, they were welcome to join them.

Riku watched as Sora looked around where they were camped out, hidden by the trees. A rather large caravan like vehicle was seen from where they stood, partially blocked from view by the oak tree beside it, three horses sleeping comfortably under the long limbs that provided them shade. One of the horses though was currently eating an apple from the hand of who appeared to be a young girl, a gauntlet made of what seemed to be a rough fabric around her arm. The other hand was patting the neck of the beast in front of her, her brown eyes only glancing towards them once the apple in her hand had been fully consumed.

She appeared to be an innocent girl, which was completely proved otherwise once she opened her mouth. "Riku, you little bastard! Where the hell were you? Because of your lazy ass, I had to take watch for you this morning and feed the horses! Son of a bitch, if you weren't one of us, you're ass would be so buried right now!"

Rikku quickly walked towards the fuming brunette, explaining what had happened before she killed something. Cloud just rolled his eyes and walked past them towards the caravan, muttering something about how she was the one who woke them up to make sure nothing bad had happened to him. Riku just sighed and put an arm around Sora's shoulder, walking him towards the horses now waking up thanks to the girl's shouting. "Don't mind that snobbish bitch; she's just a little cranky. Yuffie will calm down later on, when she's understood everything. But let me introduce you to the hardest workers we have. The horses."

Sora laughed as the creatures sniffed at his clothes, one of them sticking it's snout down his shirt curiously while another ruffled his hair, leaving him alone only once he proved to have no food on him and allowing him to pass with the bandit. Riku patted one gently on the backside before walking towards the caravan, pausing as he rounded the corner where a silver haired male was currently leaning against the side of the wooden vehicle, probably waiting for them. His pale green eyes glanced towards them, studying Sora for a few moments before turning towards Riku. When he spoke, it held a deep resonance that had the prince fighting back a shiver at the power seeming to be restrained. "I heard the story from Cloud. He's coming with us?"

"Yeah. You aren't going to throw a fit are you?"  
"No. If he was granted Cloud's approval after they just met, then I won't complain."

Riku nodded, watching as the tall male ducked his head as he entered the side door on the caravan, clapping Sora on the back. "Wow. Even Sephiroth isn't going to just kill you off. That's a surprise."

Sora gave him wide eyes and Riku laughed, guiding him towards the caravan entrance. The next hour had passed surprisingly fast as everyone got ready for departure. So far, he had only been introduced to five of the seven bandits and though the five were working on leaving outside the caravan, he hadn't even seen hide nor hair of the other two. Riku had gone outside to held Cloud and Yuffie with the horses, Rikku putting out any remains of fire the that had been burning the night before; so that left Sora to explore the inner build of the transport, studying everything around him.

It was built strong and obviously a group of traveling bards were their cover as he saw the musical items in one of the side closets. Sora smiled as he saw the instruments, examining them closely, running his hands down the smooth flute case before him. Who would've have guessed? Not only were they bandits, but talented musicians. He gave a small chuckle, but froze as he heard a sigh behind him. "So…you're this 'prince' Riku has been so enchanted by?"

He turned around quickly, eyes meeting the blue orbs of the man behind him. The bandit was leaning against the doorway, staring down at Sora with eyes that could have frozen fire. He was currently wearing leather pants and an open white dress shirt, his brown hair messy and his bangs covering the left side of his face. But what drew most of the prince's attention was the slanted scar between his eyes. "Leon, leave the poor boy alone. You're probably scaring him."

The man known as Leon glanced towards the woman behind him before he shrugged and walked away, the click of his boots fading into nothing as he stepped outside. She turned towards Sora, leaning over a little and giving him a bright smile. "I'm sorry about him. Leon can be…a bit forward. My name is Tifa. You must be the prince, right?"

"Um, yeah. My name is Sora…"  
"Oh, I know. Sephiroth told us when we were sleeping."  
"Sleeping…? Oh, you and that Leon guy are lovers?"

She blinked before laughing, a hand going to her stomach after a few moments to keep from falling over. Sora stared at her with wide eyes, trying to ignore the fact that all she was wearing besides her black shorts was a loose white shirt. A red tint went to his cheeks and he glanced away, looking back once she stopped laughing to see that she had tied her shirt into a knot. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. But…lovers? Leon and I? No way, but that was a good laugh."

At his confused look, she smiled, taking his hand and pulling him towards the two open doorways in the back. Both rooms were small and each had two mattress' on the floor, blankets and sheets messily assembled over them. "This is how it works; we try to keep a maximum of four people a room. And Sephiroth, Yuffie, Cloud and Rikku were all sleeping in a room already. So I just fell asleep with Leon. Understand?"

"Oh. Wait, you guys don't worry about any of the men making moves on you while you sleep?"

Tifa blinked at him before frowning and tapping her lips with a nailed finger, sitting on the mattress'. Sora sat down next to her, tilting his head as she mumbled the answer to his question. "Hmm…I thought it was so obvious."

"What?"  
"You see…the women aren't the one who need to worry about getting felt up."  
"Why is that…? Wait…oh! All the men are…gay?"  
"No, I'm pretty sure Leon and Sephiroth are bisexual. But Cloud and Riku are."

Sora stared at her in wide eyed wonder, before looking towards the door way as Cloud walked through, pausing almost immediately at the look of surprise Sora was giving him and the laughing Tifa sitting next to him. It only took the blonde a few moments before he sighed in irritation, glaring half-heartedly at Tifa. "Do you tell everyone about me?"

"Oh Cloud, don't be ridiculous. This is only the tenth person I've told."  
"Tenth? Who the hell are the other nine?"

She counted off the people on her hand, a thoughtful look gracing her face. "Those three women who were hitting on you, that bar tender, the guard at the gate, the people who were wondering how you played the flute so well and now Sora!"

Cloud just stared at her before sighing and flicking her forehead, earning him a pout as he turned his back to her, removing the shirt he was wearing. Sora blinked, a red tint gracing his cheeks as he stared at the smooth skin of Cloud's back, only slightly marred by what must be battle scars. Tifa glanced to Sora, giggling at the look on his face, Cloud glancing back to him before smirking. "Ah. Does your highness like the view?"

Sora blinked before giving a small smirk and looking away. "What view? All I see is a pale man who needs less curve and more muscle."

The woman besides him burst out laughing, Cloud giving the boy a look. But the look suddenly faded away as he got an idea, a small smile lighting his face, one that Tifa shared after seeing it. The blonde casually walked over, sitting on the other side of Sora, the prince watching his warily. "Sora…are you ticklish?"

Before the prince could answer, hands were suddenly dancing up his sides, giggles escaping him loudly as Cloud helped Tifa tickle the boy. "S-stop! Pl-please, I can't breathe!"

Cloud and Tifa both laughed, continuing to tickle the boy and only stopping once Riku entered the room. He smirked at the view of a red face Sora, brown spiky hair mussed and shirt wrinkled with Tifa and Cloud looming over him on both sides. With a jerk, the caravan suddenly moved, Riku 'accidentally' straddling Sora as he fell on the mattress. "Sora, you look like someone just blew you off."

The prince blushed before pushing Riku off, glaring back at him. "It's not my fault! These two just tickled the crap out of me…"

Tifa giggled next to him and Cloud smiled, both trying to look completely innocent and failing horribly at it, Riku sitting up with a smile. "Oh, don't be a baby. Oh yeah. Cloud, you and Tifa don't drive until after Sora and I, so get some sleep. You'll probably need it."

The blonde nodded, watching as Riku stood up, pulling Sora with him as he left the room. Silence passed between them as they both just stared at the doorway, the only sound coming from the moving wheels on either side of the caravan and the laughing coming from up front where Yuffie and Rikku were controlling the horses. Finally, Tifa frowned as she hugged one of the pillows to her chest, glancing towards Cloud. "Hey…do you feel like this is a mistake? That taking Sora in with us was a bad decision?"

Cloud stared at the doorway for a moment before towards Tifa. "Not taking Sora in, but letting Riku get attached. If the king found out that his son had willingly come along us…we are all dead if the people he sends after us find us. I have a feeling…they might already be on there way."

The day passed and still the dread surrounding the bandits remained. The moon had cast its ivory shadow over the land, sending everything into a beautiful darkness that did nothing to ease the heavy burden resting atop their shoulders. Yuffie stared at the star's, watching their glow in the sky and frowning in silence as she glanced towards Rikku sitting only a few feet beside her. Neither had made a sound in the last hour, but even if they had, it would not lift the curtain of mute sound around them. "Hey…does it seem almost too quiet to you? I mean, it's always quiet, but how often are the crickets not chirping?"

Rikku nodded slowly, eyeing the forest carefully before tensing and turning towards where the caravan sat. "I heard something."

Yuffie frowned, taking a few steps towards the wooden vehicle, but paused as she heard a gasp and something hit the ground. She turned around, only to see Rikku on the ground, a dart in the back of her neck. "Rikku-!"

A choking sound was all that left her mouth, falling forward with a thud, a dart visible from her back. Figures shifted in the darkness, shadows appearing over the motionless figures of the two girls, a hand waving towards the caravan and leaving only one woman to stand guard over the unconscious bandits. "Pathetic. And here I thought they would be a little more…challenging."

"Really? You think I'll be enough fight for you," a voice was all that was heard before a sword cut through the air, forcing her to duck and spin around. The long blade seemed to absorb all the moonlight being shone down, the silver hair and pale green eyes glowing as the man identified as Sephiroth faced her. He kneeled down; sword pointed towards the side, he ran at her, blade beginning to slash towards her before the familiar _thunk_ of a dart sinking into muscles was heard. The man stopped almost immediately, eyes wide as he glanced down at the dart in his arm before at the figure sitting in the tree tops. He cursed, falling to the side to lie unconscious along side with Yuffie and Rikku. The figure in the tree tops jumped down, walking closer and giving a bow to the woman. "Miss Scarlet, the operation is a success. All the bandits have been injected with the sleeping serum and the traitor to the monarchies has been captured. Shall we leave them here and take the bandits with us?"

"We'll take them with us, of course. After all, they are the infamous seven bandits."

Riku began to awaken, eyes dazed. It felt as if he were drunk, face down buried against the dirt floor of the cell. He cursed as his hand went to his back, the joints protesting at the movement as he pulled the dart from his shoulder, glaring at the small item before hurling it across the room. "Fucking serum…damn that injection was strong."

"You're telling me. They had the nerve to attack while we were all sleeping and attacking from the distant like a bunch of cowards," said a voice from the corner, Riku turning to see Cloud leaning against the wall, studying the dart he'd pulled from his side. Leon was leaning against the wall next to him and Yuffie was currently picking the lock to the cell, humming to herself as she did so. She only glanced to him as he woke up, concentrating on the lock as she spoke. "They even split all of us up. I have no idea where the other three are, but one of the Destiny guys was gloating. Personally, I think he was drunk, but he kept saying how they were going to teach us all for messing with them. And how they were going to get back at us by killing our newest treasure. Don't know what the hell that meant…ah-ha! Opened! Riku what're you--?"

He ignored the girl, sprinting at full force from the cell and towards the dungeon door located at the top of the stone staircase, panic driving him onward as he threw open the door. The first thing his eyes saw was Sora, chained to the wall before he saw something else. Blood was on his clothing, coming from rips and tears in his clothing, scratching on his arms and face. He swallowed back the ball having formed in his throat, walking carefully towards the chained up boy and touching his cheek. "Sora…? Please, if you're alive, answer me. Sora!"

The boy tensed, head lifted slowly to stare at Riku with glazed over eyes, blinking a few times before he recognized the bandit. Sora cursed, looking around quickly before back towards Riku, fighting back the tears that were forming in the corners of his eyes. "You have to leave! Their coming to kill you and the others, you have to go now! Riku…?"

Sora glanced towards him as he gave a deep sigh, arms wrapping around him tightly and just holding him for now, despite the fact that he was still chained to the wall. "I thought you were dead, Sora. I thought…"

Riku fought the tears that were streaming down his face, just holding the boy close to him for now, ignoring Cloud and the others watching from the dungeon door. Yuffie watched with sad eyes, glancing towards Cloud and Leon who both were looking elsewhere, letting the two have their moment. And that was when everything seemed to begin passing in slow motion. The door behind Riku and Sora opened, the light coming through obstructed by the shadow of a man, a sword at his side. His boots were silent on the floor as he entered the room, sword stretched towards the pair in front of him. Just as he began to run towards the prince and the bandit, Yuffie turned back towards the couple, eyes growing wide. "Riku!"

Sora opened his eyes, staring at the approaching figure, Riku raising his head, but was unable to face the man as the sword entered through the bandits back and left out of the princes'. Riku stared wide eyed at the wall, a choking sound leaving him before the blade was removed, the bandit falling silently to the floor as Sora became limp in the chains that held him. Yuffie and Cloud ran towards the fallen bandit, Leon punching the guard in the face as he turned to face him. The man was left to fall against the hard floor of the dungeon, turning to stare at Leon as his own blade was stolen to end his life. It swung down, cutting through bone and muscle until it clashed against the hard stone floor.

It was said that the bandits died after that, either from old age or sickness, since it was an ancient time with little medicine. The world became older, the monarchies dying and technology advancing. But one thing remained and that was the legend of the seven bandits, made into a myth so strong that the God's themselves took note of it. They decided to resurrect the bandits and the prince, allowing them a second chance at life. And that was when the God of Love and the God of Chaos played a game.

The God of Love would win if the prince and the bandit fell in love yet again while the God of Chaos would win if they did not. The rules stated that neither of them was to interfere in anyway during this game, though the God of Chaos ignored them. To make it harder for them to fall in love, he placed the bandit in a group that all were identified as the jocks and he placed the prince in a group identified as the rebels.

And then…the game began.

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**Dark:** I feel a little bad about killing them all off. Heh. Oh well, their being resurrected, so no worries.  
**Sora:** You made two God's turn my life into a game! First I'm some sex slave to a dragon and now I'm a resurrected prince! What the hell's wrong with you?  
**  
Dark:** Eh...yeah, whatever. Anyway, a review in A Dragon's Power said I needed to make my submissions longer. Well...this long enough for you, dearie? Hope so cause it's twelve pages long on Microsoft... 


	2. Introductions

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy Characters**

**Dark:** Ha! Took a long time to actually make this chapter, but I got around to writing it. This one is around...fourteen pages if I remember correctly. Fourteen! I seriously didn't expect it to go on for that long, but it did. Anyway, during this story, the perspective and person talking or acting will change a lot. In the first part of the chapter, the person is Sora while in the second part it is Riku. The way we will know if you have entered the second part? By the print, duh. Their are quotes and/or feelings of the characters it'll be switching to. Complicated, yes? Anywho, enough of me talking. Read and Review!

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Chapter One

_The Rebel Prince_

"_I am but a leaf on a tree or a petal on a flower…one minute, admired for the beauty others and I bring to such a magnificent thing. But as soon as I fall, I become forgotten and trampled over without so much as a glance downwards…"_

"Sora, what the hell are you listening to?"

That was a question I was usually asked whenever my headphones were on, which is a lot seeing as I rarely take them off. Though it was surprising today, considering it was the occasionally perverted Rikku asking me the question. She listened to worse shit then I did and I have witnesses to prove it. There was one unforgettable song where some kid was trying to bang his father's girlfriend, which I find a little bit too weird, even for the musical world.

I glanced towards the little CD player safely tucked into the pocket of my hoody. "Bedroom Talk by The Starting Line. You ever listen to them?"

She tilted her head, sitting on the stairs next to me, patting her glossy lips with a manicured finger thoughtfully before giving a small nod. "I think so. Can I listen to song for a while?"

I shrugged, handing her my headphones as I stared around the school grounds. Fall had just set in and all the trees had begun to turn all different sorts of colors. Red and golden yellow tinted leaves drifted like cherry blossoms in the breeze, doing a horrible job of mimicking the spring time tree flowers. I couldn't help but stare at the shifting branches, listen to the crackling leaves as they hit against each other at the smallest touch. It would have been kick ass if I could have just gone on staring, but no one could miss it when those fuckers were walking towards you.

The jocks. People I hated not because they were popular, but because they seemed to think they were better then everyone and thought they were tough shit. I smirked as I watched them push people out of the way, knowing that only ten years later and all of them would have beer bellies with a balding scalp. That would be the ultimate revenge to all the people who were currently being tormented, becoming successful while they became classified losers.

It wasn't until a long row of shadows fell over the stairs and Rikku poking me in the arm that I realized the exact 'soon to be losers' had stopped in front of us. I blinked and stared up at them, my eyes sweeping down the line of jocks.

The one of the far right was known as Zell Dincht, a kick boxer. He was a favorite to vote on during the gambling that was taken outside of school and also happened to be a personal favorite of mine in the betting area as well. Cheerful blue eyes, scruffy blonde hair that seemed to have died early on in life and a black tattoo that lived next to his eye and partially on his cheek were what most people first noticed about him. Truth be told, I didn't even know why he was in the jock group. He was way too friendly. Then again, he could kick some serious ass with those kick boxing skills, so he'd probably been lured in with the promise of free hotdogs.

The one standing next to him, someone who appeared to be either very bored or irritated, I could never tell which was which with him, was Squall 'call me Leon' Leonhart. For someone who was a pro when it came to kicking a soccer ball and making it hit someone in the face, he sure didn't know how to show emotions very well. Light blue eyes that seemed to have been frozen, shaggy brown hair and a diagonal scar between his eyes were his looks. Oh and Griever of course. I don't even known how I know the name of his fucking necklace, but the damned thing is a treasure to him. A friend of mine, Tidus, once tried to touch it and got kicked so hard in the stomach, he was slouched over for three days. Though not the nicest of guys around, I couldn't really say he didn't belong with the jocks. After all, he was pretty damned cold.

And onward down the line seems to be where most of my hatred for the jocks' grows, Seifer Almasy probably being the main reason Squall looked so irritated. Despite him being on the football team, his shoulders weren't as big as most of those other idiots. And he wasn't stupid either, being pretty quick-witted with the eyes of a hawk. Green eyes, pale blonde hair that had definitely been in the sun too long and a diagonal scar between his eyes in the opposite direction of Squall's were what people would first notice. There were rumors that both Seifer and Squall had sword skills and that one day, Squall cut across the blondes' face in revenge for having it done to him.

Finally, Riku Bandit, a guy that needed his head deflated in my opinion. He was on the track team and happened to be the fastest guy in school, having won this crap-tastic place quite a few awards despite him only being here for two years, like me. Having silver hair that I swear is dyed, aqua green eyes that reminded me of seaweed having mated with emeralds and pale skin that was weird considering he's rarely inside, he's technically a girl's wet dream. Fuck, I don't know why, but they love those silver locks of his.

They, or rather Seifer, thought I had been staring at them too long for a black gloved hand reached out. The sound of creaking leather was heard as his hand settled on my shoulder, giving an almost painful squeeze as Seifer smirked at me. "Hey Prince, I know we're hot and everything, but will you stop staring and move? After all, you two are taking up the entire stairs and we actually have to meet someone inside."

I just stared at him, looking towards his hand a second later. I felt a need to ask him where he got his gloves because they actually wasn't half bad, but that would only tempt him to squeeze tighter since I wasn't doing what he had told me to. With what probably sounded like a huff to them, I sighed and stood, leaning against the railing so they could pass. I felt the grip lighten as I moved, the hand patting my cheek in a way you would a dog after they did a trick, the smell of leather strong before he moved his hand away. "That's a good Prince, we'll see you at lunch, alright?"

My hands tightened on the railing at the words, watching as they walked into school through the large white doors, the black windows at the top seeming to draw in all the light. Riku on the way past winked to me as he walked inside, Squall just plainly ignoring me and Zell waving cheerfully. Seeing as the last guy wasn't on my bad list, I waved back, not being able to wait until I saw him in second hour. We weren't friends, but at least he was actually pretty okay with talking to someone of my 'social grouping'.

I seated myself besides Rikku again, the girl giving me back my headphone and frowning as I put them over my ears again. "Hey, I thought you said Seifer had stopped bugging you at lunch?"

"He did. Riku is the one now assigned to that job. Seifer has started bugging…what's her name…that one chick with the wings on the back of a blue trench coat?"

"Oh, Rinoa?"  
"Yeah, her. He's trying to get her to go out with him."  
"But…she likes Squall."  
"I doubt he likes her…guy is as emotionless as they come after all."

Rikku nodded sadly, twirling one of her blonde strands as she stared into the school after the disappearing figures. "That's a shame…they would make such a cute couple."

"Yeah. Perfect couple. An ice cube dating an angel imitator." I ignored the look of pure venom being thrown my way by the blonde, well aware that even for me it had been harsh. Rinoa wasn't a bad person and though her loving angel's in their entirety annoyed a small part of me, she usually put her own need's aside to help a friend. Then again, she'd only help you if you promised to go shopping with her, so maybe I'm giving her too much credit.

Apparently I was completely out of it today, not noticing until it was too late the redhead that was in mid-leap and flying towards me. I might as well have been moving in slow motion as my eyes grew wide before I tried to back up enough to where this wouldn't end up in pain, though my fate was sealed as her arms wrapped around my neck, her body slamming up against mine. The breath I for some reason needed to draw in left me in a quick 'oomph' as my back slammed against the stone stairs, the hood on my sweater cushioning the star provoking pain as my head joined the rest of my body against the stairs.

Rikku watched us in amusement as Kairi let herself go to her knees beside me, hands over her mouth. "Oh! Sora, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? I didn't knee you in the nuts this time did I?"

"Thank God for small blessings…" I sat up after catching my breath, readjusting my headphones. The girl was going to kill me one of these days, I swear she is. Once the fireworks had stopped exploding in my head, I glanced over to her, though my gaze quickly swept down to see what she was wearing. True, I might be way more sensitive then most of the male species, but my dick still control's what I stare at on occasion.

A white tank top seemed to be her choice of shirts today, showing the smooth line of her cleavage, breasts that had only begun forming last year pushed up against the white material. A small black skeleton was on the shirt, blue snakes curling around the crossbones underneath. The shirt ended an inch above her navel, a black short skirt that seemed to be made for swirling hugging her hips and ending at mid thigh, where fishnet stockings were shown. With a black trench coat like jacket that ended at her knees, I still questioned her clothing style. She was almost as bad as Rikku.

I felt a hand sliding along my cheek, bringing my eyes up to stare into her bright blue ones, a familiar gleam spotted in them as she leaned in close. "Sora Prince, you naughty little boy. Just what are you staring at?"

My arms almost automatically wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. Rikku pretended not to be watching, though I saw her eyes flicking towards us every now and then. Kairi shifted, lifting her leg and setting it on the other side of mine so she was straddling my thighs, hands sliding along my shoulders as she leaned in closer. Our lips met, my eyes closing as I felt the soft as petals touch only she had, feeling her rub her breasts against the front of my hoody.

She ran her tongue along my bottom lip, a hand sliding up my neck to rest against my hair line as I opened my mouth with a sigh. As she deepened the kiss, a loud cough made us break away, my eyes opening to stare at Tidus and Wakka who stood only a few feet away. Kairi frowned as she stared over towards them, sliding off of my lap to sit hip to hip next to me, her hand twining our fingers together and resting our hands on my thigh. An amused grin was shot to us by Tidus as Wakka shook his head, a hand resting against the blue bandana around his forehead.

"You two are gonna get into trouble, ya? Jus' cause you think that the world is your condom doesn't mean you can fuck wherever ya want." All his words earned were blank stares before everyone burst out laughing, Tidus almost falling over at he leaned against the railing, Rikku resting a hand on his back to keep herself balanced. Wakka looked around confused, wondering what he said that was so funny, making me want to say so bad that what he had said made no sense. The world is your condom? Only a total buffoon would say something like that, though technically Wakka was one.

Once we could breathe again, Rikku whipped the tears from her eyes. "Oh dear…that was a good laugh. Hey Kairi, come with me to the bathroom. You can help me put my eyeliner back on."

"Oh…sure." Kairi smiled to me, placing a small kiss on my cheek before standing and walking off after the blonde who had begun to chatter on and on about how her boyfriend Gippal had just bought her a beautiful new dress. I stared after her in silence before sighing and burying my face in the palms of my hands, almost as if I was trying to wipe away the pain and guilt now racing through me.

I could feel Tidus and Wakka watching me and it seemed like hours before they walked over and sat on either side of me, Tidus pulling me up against his shoulder as Wakka stared at the stone stairs quietly. Crystalline blue eyes stared at me for a moment before Tidus looked towards the school with a long sigh. "You didn't tell her yet, did you Sora?"

He seemed to understand that I didn't when I didn't respond to him, the arm around my shoulders shifting to draw me closer. "…you know, she might understand Sora, about your decision. I mean, plenty of people remain friends after they break up."

I sighed and pushed away, running my hands through my brown spikes. "Oh yeah? Give me an example."

"Tifa and Cloud." I glanced towards Wakka as he spoke, the redhead continuing to watch the stairs. "Tifa would do anything for Cloud and he would do anything for her…and their still friends, even though he's gay."

I nodded slowly, staring off towards the trees. That was true, but still…Kairi wasn't like Tifa. She didn't understand things like that very easily. The bell rang and both of my friends stood, walking off to class after a moment of hesitation as I just sat there. My eyes swept along the leaves that fell in dying masses to the cold, rocky floor beneath them, only to be trampled later on by uncaring feet. As I watched the wind force the leaves into a twirl, I realized I was like a leaf or a flower petal. There are times where you'll be the most adored thing around and other times when people would trample over you without a second thought. Staring at the leaves…I began to realize just how cruel reality could be.

_The Social Bandit_

"_I…guess I'm like a dog. If pampered, I become selfish and picky. If abused, I flinch from anything with my tail tucked between my legs. But one thing I can say about this dog; if beaten to much, I might just bite…"_

"Riku! Wake up!"

I hate days like this. One, because it was a Monday and Two, because I had to attend a school that was squirming with infectious youth's. I stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, ignoring the silver strands that had strayed over my eyes during the night. The chalky white ceiling above me was in desperate need of cleaning, the dust from the creaking fan having floated up to turn the once shining pearl into dirty chalk. But seeing as I was not a neat freak, I would never get around to cleaning it unless I got tired of my parents bitching. Both loved cleaning. No, it wasn't even love; it was an obsessive disorder or something.

"Riku Bandit! Get you're ass up right this minute!"

"Dammit! I'm up, alright? Shut the fuck up!" I slammed the door closed after I had screamed downstairs; locking it just in case she was in a bad mood this morning. There had been many a morning where I had pushed the woman just a bit too far and she'd thrown the coffee maker at me. Good thing I can run so damn fast or I would have been in deep shit trouble.

After sitting on my bed for a few minutes trying to remember which of the clothes littered on my floor were clean and which ones were in need of a good cleaning, I stared around the room. White walls covered with posters of women and sports stars were always the first thing I noticed and equally hated in my room, the tan carpeted floor reminding me of one found in an apartment building. There had been many occasions where I had begged my parents to let my remodel my room only to have my request be harshly denied. Damn bastards.

With a sigh, I pushed myself up, kicking my stereo system on the way past towards what I hoped were clean clothes. It cracked into life, a pause sounding through the room with a static silence before Breaking Benjamin began to play Sooner or Later from a newly bought CD. I knew my mom would come up eventually and slam on the door for a while to get me to turn that 'awful music' off, not that I would listen. She must be brain dead to think that after all this time.

Leaning down to retrieve an unwrinkled blue shirt from the group of clean clothes, a condition I rarely find on any of my clothes seeing as their always on the floor, I threw it on the bed and went on my search for pants. Around five minutes and three clothes avalanches later, I had found some clean cargo pants, placing them by the shirt of the day before beginning to undress from the clothes I had worn to sleep. But halfway through removing my pants, the phone rang and the caller ID on the wall announced that Zell Dincht was miraculously up and about already.

After tripping over the hem of the pants now at my ankles and cursing about stubbing my toe of the metal bed post, I picked up the phone to hear my mom chattering happily with the overly hyper kick boxer. I bit back a groan at the sound. This was what I was afraid of. Zell could get along with a hungry wolf if he needed to and was notorious in my opinion when it came to talking with all the 'wrong people'. He was so well liked among our group that everyone had even begun making bets on him and talking to him regularly.

I cleared my throat, breaking the conversation. There was a pause before my mom's cheerful tone sounded through the phone. "Oh! Riku, dear. Zell has just been telling me that you have a track meet today…how come you didn't tell me?"

I glared at my reflection through the crappy mirror on my drawer. Bastard. "It must have slipped my mind. Sorry."

"Oh, it's alright honey. Anyway, I'll let you and Zell talk, okay?"

She hung up and I cursed, angrily pulling my cargo pants over the dark blue boxers. "Dammit! You fag! Why did you tell my mom about the track meet?"

There was a sigh and it didn't take much to know that Zell was rolling his eyes. "Because she wanted to know when the next one was. You really should tell you're parents more about what goes on in you're life, you know that?"

"Whatever Dincht. Pick me up in a half hour, alright?"  
"Yeah, alright. Talk to your parents!"

The phone clicked into silence and I rolled my eyes as I put the black object back on the wooden surface in front of me. He cared about others way too much. This was just one of those days where he had repeatedly told me about the horror it would be to loose my parents. He was just being stupid in my opinion. What did they ever do to make me that afraid of loosing them? Alright, mom did give birth to someone who is a great influence on the world, so I would miss her. But dad was home every other week, so screw what he thought and did.

I finally got around to tugging my shirt on after about ten minutes of staring at my reflection, studying my frame. When you've been running for as long as I have, even your upper body begins to show some of the muscle you're legs have. Biceps curved smoothly and the muscles on my stomach and chest having lost all signs of the baby fat that had plagued me all through middle school. My hand ran through the silvery locks and I smirked at my reflection before turning away and grabbing my socks, tugging them on as I hopped down the stairway.

The first thing I noticed was the scent of bacon cooking, pausing in the doorway to close me eyes and take in the delicious smell. My mom might have her moods, but damn could she make food a necessity, not like it already wasn't. I let my nose lead me into the kitchen, the small timer in the center of my brain reminding me I only had fifteen minutes to make myself a pig by eating all of the cooking one's food.

She cast a glance towards me, one that had me blinking once she had looked away. For a moment, it almost appeared as if she were sad about something. But why would she need to be sad about anything? Before I could ponder this further, a plate was pushed in front of me and a smile that almost left me blind was on her face. "Eat up, you lazy bones! That track meet will drain the energy out of you in no time I bet."

She disappeared out of the kitchen, humming to herself as I suddenly was overcome with hunger. It didn't take long before I was leaning back in the chair, a hand over my stomach as I sighed in content. But the honking from a horn outside drew my attention, cursing loudly as I ran towards the door, grabbing my shoes before I slammed it closed. Zell was in the passenger side with the ever rare sight of Leon driving the Mustang. This was odd. Leon almost never ever came to pick me up with Zell, though he had probably gotten pissed of with Seifer trying to provoke him into a fight. Why the two were friends never failed to confuse me.

I opened the back door, sliding in and Leon took off seconds before I closed the door, struggling to get my shoes on now. I heard Zell chattering happily to Leon, and me I guess, about a kick boxing match he has later on tonight. Just listening to him made me wince. No matter how much we teased and taunted him, he could still kick our asses to next week. If we let him catch us that is. We might not be stronger then Zell, but we could run faster then he would ever be able to.

I sighed, drawing his attention and shutting him up as I leaned between the two seats. "You do know that, like, half the school is making a fortune by betting on you, right?"

Zell thought about that for a moment. "…against me or for me?"

"For you."

"Then kick ass!" he yelled, throwing his arms up and hitting the ceiling with a loud _thump_. Suddenly the sound of a shifting foot was heard before the car slammed to a halt, me flying forward and hitting my forehead with a _smack_ against the dashboard and Zell yelping as his seat belt jerked him backwards.

Both of us glared at Leon, me shooting daggers with my eyes as I rubbed my forehead hard while Zell was adjusting his shirt. He watched us calmly, not even bothering to acknowledge the honks coming from car's behind us. "Both of you shut up. Riku, sit down and put your seat belt on. Zell, anymore waving arms and I'll throw you out the window. And both of you shut up."

All was said in a quiet voice that seemed to have ice cubes grafted in because both of us shivered as we did what we were told. After a minute of making sure we had done what he said, he started the car, driving towards school once again.

I was actually pretty lucky. From my house school was only a few blocks away, meaning less driving time. But it also meant that I usually got there early, when people of different social classes littered the school yard. It does sound mean by how often we define them as lower class, but that's just the way it turned out to be at this school. You're accepted into a certain group and you become worse or better then another group.

As the three of us left the car, we couldn't help but notice that our 'leader' was completely surrounded by, what we call, the sluts or the skanks. I actually couldn't blame them, Seifer was a hot guy and I was saying that as straightly as a hetero man could. My aqua green eyes slid along the girls surrounding him, though my gaze quickly found the stairs where our most tormented group sat.

Where the jocks were of the highest social ranking possible, the rebels or outcasts were the lowest. They always dressed in either baggy or black clothing and enjoyed above all else drama and angst. I could never understand why, though it never did matter. We picked on them either way.

As a hand closed around my shoulder, I blinked back into reality, turning my gaze to the person only to find their face about an inch from mine. I jumped, stumbling backwards, Seifer laughing his pale ass off as his hand steadied me. "Good to see you in prime condition, Riku!"

I glared at me, shrugging his hand off of me. "Yeah, good to see you in the usual bastard position."

"Ah, Riku, I know you love me."  
"Love? Since when did **annoyance** count as **love**?"

"Don't lie like the ice prince over here!" he exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Leon's shoulders and pulling him into a mock hug. All that earned him was a glare before he was pushed away, Seifer laughing as he began walking towards the school building, nodding for them to walk with them.

It was like this every morning. Seifer being the pervert he was and pretending to be a God among us while we did everything in our power to keep from laughing. Or I did at least. Leon probably was trying his best not to punch the guy in the face.

As we walked over towards the school, my eyes landed on the two at the stairs. It was odd to find these lone wolves out of their pack. The main four that were usually with one another were; these two, Tidus and Cloud, someone they had an 'appointment' with today by his locker. We'd recently heard he'd been smarting off about us in his Leon-resembling-way according to Seifer. I'd never met the kid, but if he was like Leon, it would be interesting getting him to bow before us.

The one nearest us currently was Rikku Al Bhed, a girl who was as perverted as Seifer at times and whose father owned the biggest manufacturing company in the state. I didn't really hate her, but there were many occasions where I would literally hide from her when she was in a bad mood. It's sad, a jock hiding from an outcast, but fuck she could punch hard. With blonde hair that was tied back and probably beaded with explosives, green eyes with swirl contacts and skin as smooth as…well, smooth, she was pretty hot. Not that I would date her or anything. I'm not that stupid.

And then there was a favorite to torment, Sora Prince, a boy who was actually really smart from what I heard from Zell. I knew for a fact that if he wanted to, he could be a jock and popular like us. I've seen him during P.E. That kid can throw a ball like no one's business. I remember I was teamed up with him once during baseball and he threw a baseball that I could feel through the material of my glove. And let's not talk about his hitting skills. Chestnut brown hair that miraculously stays in spikes all the time, sapphire eyes and a frame that held only a few hints of baby fat, he'd be a hottie one day. You know, saying that as straight as possible.

We were in front of him before I remembered stopping, watching as Seifer forced him from his daydream by placing a hand on his shoulder. I had seen this routine plenty of times. Either one does as the man says or he'll squeeze your shoulder until you hear a popping sound. Sora had gotten this treatment many times before and it was mostly because the kid didn't enjoy being bossed around. But he decided not to be a smart ass today and stood up, walking over to stand next to Rikku by the railing. He looked bored if anything and I noticed his grip on the railing tightened when Seifer said something I didn't hear. That was new.

On the way past, I threw the kid a wink and he threw me glare in return, not that I paid attention to it. Sora and I weren't on very good terms. Mainly it was because of our social standing and where we stood in the school system, but before that, we were the best of friends. All through Papou Elementary we were the closest of friends and hung out whenever we could. We practically had lived at each other's houses. But once we entered Hollow Bastion Middle School, we had just…gone apart, separate paths to different groups.

That had been a good four or five years ago. Now we attended Oblivion High School, a place where social standing's where everything, whether we liked it or not. Everyone knew who the leader of their social group was; the jocks were owned by Seifer, the preps were owned by Aeris, the sluts were owned by Scarlet, the neutrals were owned by Tifa, the suits were owned by Rufus and the rebels were owned by Cloud.

Who the hell knows how all these group's had gotten established. All I needed to understand was that in this world, you can be either on of two things; the dog or the plant. What's the difference? The plant only gets appreciated for a while before it gets trampled over. But the dog is different; as long as it does the tricks it's owner wants it to do, it's safe.

Me? I…guess I'm like the dog. I can be really fucking picky when I'm pampered and if you beat me too much, I can bite you. But if you like that sort of thing, bring out the whips and chains.

As we walked down the hall, I looked towards Zell; he had been quiet the entire time. That was a rare thing, especially after he'd been chattering up a storm in the drive over here. I glanced towards Leon and Seifer, watching as they walked in silence towards the junior hall while I slid over to Zell, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He jumped, glancing over to me with a blink.

I studied him before lowering my voice to ask him a question. Seifer would probably make fun of him if he was getting afraid of whatever we were going to do to Strife. "You alright, Zell? It's really weird for you to be quiet."

He didn't answer immediately. It took a minute, but finally he told me what was worrying him. "It's just that…I know Cloud. He might talk big and can back it up, but he isn't a bad guy. You know?"

"…so you don't want us to do anything bad to him?"  
"Yeah. I know he said something about us but…"  
"Then why not ask Seifer to not hurt him real bad?"

Zell rolled his eyes. "Yeah…he'd listen to reason over someone bad mouthing him. He's a bastard when it comes to shit like this."

I nodded. He had a point there. "Well, just have faith, okay? If Seifer does beat him up, we'll pull him off together, okay?"

Zell shared with me one of those bright smiles, before nodding happily and hurrying to catch up with Leon and Seifer. I really hoped I'd have the guts to follow through with what I had said. Being accepted into a high social group like this wasn't as easy as people thought. You can't just join a sport and become accepted…strings are always attached.

As we rounded the corner, I couldn't help but take in the walls as we passed. They must have put some serious effort into getting this school to look fucking awesome, yet dark like the name Oblivion. All the walls throughout the school were dark blue at the top and black tiled at the bottom. Every locker was either black and a gray color while every door was white with window so dark, they blocked out the light.

But when I looked further down the hallway, I saw the reason we were even in the school this early. Cloud leaned against the black color beside his open dark gray one, talking to the one and only Tifa, a gorgeous beauty with a black belt. From what I had heard, these two were super good friends and had known each other since child hood. Why they hadn't gone out yet was beyond me, but each to their own and all that bullshit.

Cloud Strife was a person who could have woman probably dropping to their knees before him if he just changed his attitude and dressed differently. He already had the looks to back up his killer sex appeal with the women and he'd already gotten one of the hottest girl's in school to notice him. With spiky blonde hair that reminded me Sora's, but tamed, blue eyes that seemed to glow and a frame that most girls were probably drooling over, I would drop to his feet if we weren't in public. Or paid, either way. And for a junior, a year above me, he knew how to get his way around most circumstances most people would melt in.

Tifa Lockheart. There is one woman I will never understand. Leader of the neutrals, she talks to the Leader of the rebels, a group of supposed no-bodies who accepted everyone into their ranks. They even had interesting connections with the suits, people we really didn't like because they were complete snobs. Dark brown hair that falls to her waist, bright chocolate brown eyes and a frame that I won't even start to think about because I didn't feel like walking around all day with a notebook over my groin, she is a man's immense dream come to true in features. Now if only she didn't threaten to rip off guys nuts if they looked at her wrong…

We all came to stop in a semi-circle around him, Tifa looking around with a frown while Cloud just glanced towards us in what was best noticed as boredom. He wasn't afraid in the least, something I admired while also found extremely stupid, especially in front of a person like Seifer; a person who bathed in people's fear of him. If you weren't screaming in fright, then you had better start praying.

"Is there a problem here…gentlemen?" Tifa's calm voice broke through my thoughts, causing only Seifer, Zell and I to stare towards her. Leon and Cloud were currently sizing each other up, as if they would be doing actually fighting in this. If anything was going to happen, Seifer would be the one to throw the punch.

Seifer smiled, raising his hands. "We just want to speak with Mr. Strife…miss."

"Well too bad. I'm talking to him."  
"But it'll only be for a few minutes."  
"Again, too bad. And if you have a problem, I can go get the scissors right now and give you another option."  
"Ooh…feisty. Just the way I like them."

Tifa glared at him, but blinked as Cloud stood in front of her. "Cloud…?"  
He glanced back towards her. "I'll see you in third period, alright?"

"But Cloud…"  
"Don't worry Tifa…it'll only be a few minutes."

She frowned as she watched him, brows furrowing; but with a lingering glare to all of us, she turned and stalked down the hallway towards her first hour class, heels clicking against the tiled floor. I couldn't help but stare after her, wondering why this hot chick would care for Cloud so much. He seemed like an arrogant bastard to me…

Finally we faced off against each other, the three of us behind Seifer while he stood only a few feet from Cloud, who leaned against the locker. Silence was all that we heard for a good five minutes, though with the clock ticking until school started, we knew we had to act fast. While I glanced towards the clock on the wall, I only heard the hand slamming against the locker. My gaze shot back towards the two, seeing Seifer hiding Cloud's form, his hand firmly planted against the locker beside his face. I had thought someone had been hit, but thankfully no blood had been shed. Yet.

"I heard you've been talking some shit about us, Cloudy."  
"Where did you hear that?"  
"From a source."  
"A source?"  
"Yeah, a _source_. Now is it true?"  
"Maybe so. Why?"  
"Because we don't like people talking shit behind our back."  
"Well, **I** don't like your people bothering the people in my group."

His vision shot past Seifer towards me and I immediately knew what this was about. Because Sora had a thing for disobeying the higher ranks, Seifer had been annoying him at lunch for the last year. But since he'd started trying to get that Rinoa girl to start dating him, he'd left me to bug the crap out of him, something I do quite nicely.

Seifer was quiet for a few minutes before backing up, hands raised with a small smile on his face. I felt a small trace of fear and anticipation roll up my spine. That look…I hated that look. If Cloud wanted us to do something, he'd have to do something too. And it was never good. When Wakka, a kid who hung around Sora and them, had wanted Seifer and us to stop bugging Tidus in his classes, Seifer had made a deal. We would leave the kid alone as long as he raced against me. Didn't have to win, just had to race. I humiliated him like no one would ever believe. The kid was not meant to run.

Apparently Cloud knew the look too. He glared at Seifer, arms crossing over his chest. "What do you want me to do?"

Seifer put a hand over his heart, looking offended. "Oh! Cloudy, you think I want something?"

"Yes. That look was given to Wakka. And he was humiliated."  
"Well…then we can skip what happens afterward."  
"What do you want me to do and against who?"

"You will play soccer against Leon," Seifer jerked his thumb back towards the silent junior, who glanced towards Cloud, "and we will leave Sora to eat his lunch. Deal?"

Cloud just stared at the hand offered to him for a minute. Leon wasn't someone that would be good to go against, even if they were in the same grade. After a moment of silence against, his hand outstretched and closed around Seifer's. I watched as Seifer grinned and shook the other's hand, backing up and turning towards his class right as the bell rang. We followed, though I noticed Leon hesitated before following. Cloud had just been offered a challenge that could possibly leave him limping for weeks. If there was one thing I knew about Leon…it was that he never went easy. On anyone.

* * *

**Dark:** Yay! You're done with the offical first chapter! Be happy! For anyone confused at all, here are some notes of who runs what:

**Jocks -** Seifer  
**Preps - **Aeris  
**Sluts - **Scarlet  
**Neutrals - **Tifa  
**Suits -** Rufus  
**Rebels -** Cloud

**Dark: **Yay! There are actually more groups, but these are probably a few you might here about more. Can anyone guess the main groups? That one should be obvious, seeing as the main characters are in them. Now to answer you're reviews before I enter this chapter:

**Lady Samurai:** XD - Yes, but Sora is rather irritated about that though. Bitching non-stop and now he's all gloomy again. Tsk tsk.

**Nightingale Dragon:** Really? Wow, I only made people cry once before and that was in middle school. Sorry about that, but I'm glad you liked it.

**Staryday:** Wooh...you must love reading. I do too, but it depends on how interactive and humorous people can make things for me, you know? Happy you like it so far because all the chapters are going to be this long.

**WeIrDlOvEr1:** Ta-da! It's an update!

**Jenni Kunoichi:** ...ta-da! It's an update! XDD - I'm just so original, no?

**Promise:** o.o Holy crap, you liked it that much? Well, here you go! I wish all reviewers were this inspired by my work. Then again, on ADP, quite a few people review every chapter whether they like it or not. Anyway, thanks for the offer!

**kmwsweetness:** ...ta-da! Yeah, it's an update. I'm happy you like the story!


	3. Conflicting Circumstances

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy Characters**

**Dark:** Hello all! Long time, no post. Anyway, this one is coming early because I start school this week. Yipee fucking do - right? So much for summer. And since school is starting this week, I figured I would write this one ahead of time for your reading pleasure. The next update…I can't promise it'll be soon because I'll be pretty busy during September, writing the new story Masters and Renegades, plus my dad is leaving for a week. Leaving me to take care of the dogs and do most of the cooking around the house seeing as my mom is still sick from that ulcer…

**Sora:** It's probably your fault too...making people worry

**Dark:** ...okay, that made a lot of sense, Sora. Anyway, redid a few things on the A/N because I upset someone by something I said. I really didn't think it was a big deal, but seeing as my friends and I are always calling each other bad names, maybe to some people, it was rude and disrespectful.

**Sora:** Naughy, naughty language!

**Dark:** So, read and review, please!

* * *

Chapter Two

_Conflicting Circumstances_

_The Rebel Prince_

"Hey…hey!"

I was pulled from the comforting darkness of sleep to a harsh and low whisper coming from somewhere behind me, lifting my head to look around tiredly. It took me a minute to realize just where the hell I was, though the 'Excel in Life' posters reminded me pretty damned fast I wasn't at home. Like my room would have a fucking poster that hoped to inspire young kids like myself to do better in life. I heard the low, harsh whisper again and turned with a frown to look at who had pulled me from my nice dream. It wasn't everyday I dreamed I was beating Seifer's head in with a bat the size of a tree.

My gaze landed on Zell finally after having swiveled through the row of students behind me who looked as if they were dying from boredom. I wouldn't doubt that being possible, but Study Hall usually wasn't a bad class to have because technically it wasn't a class. I glanced towards the Study Hall teacher, Mr. Highwind, who was also known as the Track Coach. He was snoring in a brown leather wheelie chair, head back with mouth open, just asking to have a piece of paper or an eraser thrown into it. His blonde hair reminded me of Seifer's, a pale blonde that needed less sunlight.

He wore a white shirt with a large orange wool belt as well as blue jeans. Though Mr. Highwind was a teacher, supposedly, he let most of the kids in my grade curse as much as we want and didn't give a rat's ass about how our grades were for his track team. Confident that he was actually sleeping, I slid from my seat and into the empty one behind me, arms folding on the front of Zell's desk as he grinned happily that he'd finally gotten my attention. "Hey, jock boy. What do you want? I was having the best dream."

"Oh, yeah? Sora, what dream could be better then talking to me?"  
"Well, I won't tell you exactly, but it had a bat and Seifer in it."  
"Ah…don't say anything else. He'll think otherwise if those words ever reached his ears."

I nodded. Hey, I wasn't stupid enough to actually tell him all that was left of Seifer in my dream was a bloody corpse. He did work for that bastard after all, no matter how cool Zell was. "Yeah. Anyway, what did you want me over here for?"

"Oh right. Cloud went to Seifer so Riku would stop annoying you at lunch."  
"What? Dammit, I told Cloud I could handle it!"  
"Yeah, well now Cloud has to play soccer against Leon."

My jaw dropped and a group of kids around us suddenly stopped what they had been doing to stare back at Zell and me with wide eyes. It was no secret how ruthless Leon could get when he had competition. I closed my mouth, glancing towards Mr. Highwind as he gave a particularly loud snore before back towards Zell. He looked sad about the whole thing, not that I could blame him. Cloud was one of the only group leaders Zell got along with. Then again, Zell could get along with a violent drunk man who wanted to screw the jock until he got to know him, something everyone regretted because they found themselves starting to love him.

One of the kids near us, Marlene Wallace, leaned in close to us and we followed suite to hear what she had to say. "Leon, as in, Squall Leonhart? And Cloud Strife?"

Zell nodded remorsefully. "Yeah...unfortunately. Cloud wanted something, so Seifer told him what he would have to do to get what he wanted."

"But Cloud is always so nice…when people were teasing me about my adoptive father being black, him, Tifa and that Shin-Ra boy made them back off."

As Zell and the girl talked to each other, I studied Marlene, remembering Cloud mentioning something about that. But he hadn't known Rufus Shin-Ra, leader of the suits, and Tifa Lockheart, leader of the neutrals, had been the ones to help Cloud get the kids to stop teasing her. Then again, the only group's who happened to be on the rebel/outcasts side of the line were the Suits and the Neutrals. I heard a few giggles and I was knocked from my thoughts to glance behind Zell. When my eyes sighted who had laughed, I suddenly realized she hadn't giggled. She had cackled like the fucking witch she was.

Scarlet smoothed down the front of her tight red dress, the line and top portion of her breasts revealed from the low collar while the ends of the dress barely kept her panties from being shown to the public. Her black boots had four inch spike heels and red laces with a lip print just a little bit above the heel. The sign that she was leader of the sluts and skanks and that was for good reason. "I…couldn't help, but overhear the three of you. Cloudy has been called out by your stud of a leader, Dincht?"

I could already feel Zell's discomfort at having to talk to Scarlet, but he was a nice guy and couldn't just ignore her. Fuck, I had no trouble of needing to do it. "Um…yeah. Leon is going-"

"I heard, Zell. After all, you did say it loud enough for probably the next class beside us to hear."

The kick boxer was silent now and I glared at Scarlet. "How about you leave Zell the fuck alone, you whore?"  
Scarlet turned angry eyes toward me, brushing a strand of wavy blonde hair away from her face. "Excuse me? How **dare** you even address me, you worm."

"Worm? How about I show you who the _real_ worm is, bitch?"  
"Please, Prince. I am not afraid of what you of all people might do."  
"Oh is that right? Why not?"  
"Because…you had to run to your pathetic excuse for a leader, Cloud Strife, for help."

One minute, I was wishing I had heat ray vision so I could burn Scarlet's head into a bloody mess and the next; she was on the floor with wide eyes as she stared at her assaulter, cheek already red and ready to swell at the power of the punch having been delivered. I glanced towards the one who had punched the bitch, my gaze landing on Elena Turk, one of the four cousins who served under Rufus. She glanced towards me, before at Scarlet, lowering her hand and smoothing out the blue suit she was wearing.

I heard someone clear their throat behind her and she stepped to the side, a smirk forming on my face as I stared at the infamous Turks. It had actually slipped my mind that everyone in the Suits except Rufus was in this particular study hall. The group consisted of Elena Turk, Reno and Rude Turk and the second in charge, Tseng Turk.

Elena Turk, a sophomore like me, was the youngest in the suits and also the youngest of the Turk cousins. She might look like a soldier ready to do as told most of the time, but I had actually seen her outside of school and have hung out with her on more then one occasion. She was really nice and kind when she wasn't wearing the suit, though something that never changed about her; the need to defend her friends and family. Her blonde hair was a nice healthy color, ending just a few inches under her chin, eyes a bright blue and with skin that was just a little pale, her appearance worked for her. She was beautiful in her own way, after all.

And the ever infamous duo, both being juniors and only a few months apart in age, Reno and Rude Turk. Those two were never separated and always did any job given to them together, being good friends among the Turk cousins. I didn't really talk to them much, but we usually did help out one another if we were caught into bad situations. I actually owed them for beating the crap out of some of the kids from the prep group who had been ganging up on me and had been kicking me on the floor before they had arrived to save the day.

Reno was the younger and with a much more fiery personality, with hair to match. His appearance consisted of bright red hair that was tied into a rat tail or a ponytail, whichever one, bright green eyes and skin that was only a little tan. His ears had a few earrings, though it wasn't anything surprising considering his appearance.

Rude was around three months older then his cousin and with a much more silent, if not sinister, personality. His head was completely saved of any hair, not counting his goatee, eyes an unknown color because of the sunglasses he always wore and skin a tad bit more paler then Elena's. And if people thought Reno had quite a few earrings, they should check out Rude's ears, five in the right and around three or four in the left.

Finally, Tseng Turk, a senior and oldest of the four cousins. He was very down to business and had a habit of using people for doormats quite a bit of the time. But he was quickly put in his place each and every time by Rufus if that sort of behavior was seen. His black hair was long, like to his shoulder blades long, his eyes being a chocolate brown and skin a creamy pale color. He looked first class and had the personality to match.

Tseng was currently sitting between Reno and Rude, Elena standing beside them and looking straight ahead like the good soldier she pretended to be at school. Scarlet glared at him, standing and ignoring the fact her dress had ridden up during that little fall from her seat. Zell looked down, a red tint on his face and I cringed, looking away and pretending I hadn't seen anything. I didn't give a rat's ass if Scarlet was hot or not, the bitch was a slut and I hated her.

She finally seemed to notice why Reno and Rude were staring at her, one smirking while the other had an eyebrow rose, smoothing down her dress. "I suggest you keep your toy soldiers _away _from me, Tseng. You aren't the leader of them, Rufus is. Only seniors should be in charge of their groups and while you might be one, you didn't create your group."

He just smiled calmly, a hand smoothing through his hair. "Perhaps. But we overheard you bad mouthing the leader of the Rebels and had to take action. Doesn't matter if Cloud is a junior and leads the group, he created it and is doing a wonderful job at keeping his members in line. While you, I notice, are not. You barely wear enough clothes to even lead a group and prostitutes don't count as leaders last I noticed."

"_How dare you!_" She had crossed between the tables and had a hand risen to slap Tseng, though halfway through its descent, a gloved hand grabbed her wrist. Scarlet turned angrily to yell at the person, though the look on Reno's face was enough to freeze anything she might have said dead in her throat. Rude stood and took her elbow, while Reno did the same, both of them escorting her away from where Tseng was sitting and into her own seat.

The whole class watched with wide eyes as Reno and Rude walked past again, though Reno stopped beside me and leaned down, putting what looked like a little note into the pocket on the front of my hoodie. He smirked; patting my cheek before walking to his seat and sitting down, throwing a crumpled piece of paper at Mr. Highwind's sleeping form. Reno hit him perfect in the nose, causing the man to jump and glare at us. "Alright, you little fucktards, who threw that?"

Silence greeted him, everyone having gone back to what they were doing and Mr. Highwind muttered a few obscenities as he sat back down. I giggled into my hand before taking the note from my pocket, studying it and tilting my head. A motion from the corner of my eyes caused me to turn my gaze towards Tseng, who nodded and made movements with his hand that resembled opening a piece of paper. I looked away and unfolded the paper, eyes wide as I realized who this was from, before beginning to read:

_Sora Prince,_

_I trust this was delivered to your hands safely by one of the Turks, thus I shall reveal the reasons for my contacting you. I had heard a rumor from a small group of underling jocks that has stated Cloud being called out by Seifer to challenge Leon in soccer. _

_If it had been anyone other then the jocks, I would have not believed such a fact as this, but alas. It was them and even Tifa has told me that Cloud had been surrounded by Seifer and those closest to him only moments before the first bell rang. _

_Now, if you would be so kind as to ask Cloud to meet me at lunch, for I must discuss this information with him. Though I fear I already know what he will say…even you are aware of how independent your leader is. Oh yes, before I forget. Do not worry about him if he does go through with playing against Squall, for both Tifa and I have agreed to be there to make sure no foul tricks are played. But I doubt our presence shall matter any._

_Sincerely,_

_Rufus Shin-Ra_

P.S._ And Sora…you really should tell Kairi…leading her and yourself on like this is only going to end up hurting you more when she discovers the truth._

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_An Independent Leader_

"_I don't know who I am anymore... I seem to constantly be asking myself; how far am I willing to go to hide this? Am I ready…to risk _everything_…for him?"_

"Cloud! Dammit Cloud, will you wait up?"

I stopped, turning around to stare at the hoodie clad boy running down the hall, his back pack bouncing irritably against his shoulder and back. I rose an eyebrow as I realized it was Sora, watching him stop just a few feet away from me and place his palms on his knee's, taking a few deep breaths now. He must have run quite a long way if he was out of breath already and after thinking about the classes he had, I was right. English II was on the other side of the school.

After a few minutes, he stood again and suddenly I found myself being glared at by the brunette whose hair reminded me of how mine used to be when I was eight. All over the place with the only thing being different was that it was a brighter shade of blonde back then. He continued to glare at me for a few minutes, those in the hall passing by and throwing us curious looks before hurrying on before that glare turned to them. Once he realized I wouldn't look away from his angry eyes, he sighed and shook his head, leaning against one of the nearby lockers. "What the hell is wrong with you Cloud?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Me…? Nothing is wrong with me; though I'm sure you have a reason for saying there is something wrong, so enlighten me."

"How could you confront Seifer like that?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"I said I could fucking handle this!"  
"Too bad. You are one of the top people in my group, so you are getting help, like it or not."  
"Dammit Cloud; I don't want you getting hurt because of me!"  
"Who said I was going to get hurt Sora? I promise to be careful…"

That was a lie, but I really didn't care about telling him the truth right now. An angry Sora could hold a grudge for a long time and I really didn't feel like him going solo for a while because of me. He studied me for a moment, as if trying to read my thoughts before he sighed. "Alright, whatever. Anyway, you have lunch with Rufus, right?"

I blinked. That was unexpected. "Yeah…the juniors and seniors have lunch together today. Why?"

"He asked me to tell you to meet him at lunch. He wants to talk with you." My eyes narrowed at that information, staring at the wall now as I thought about whom had told Rufus about the challenge. Tifa having suspicions about something bad happening was enough for me, let alone Rufus actually knowing. It was true that in this little war of the groups, the three of us were together and helped each other out in bad situations, though I always had a problem with going to others for help.

I noticed Sora staring at me, frowning now. "What?"  
"Hmm? Oh, sorry. It's just…"  
"Just what?"  
"Your eyes…how come they glow when you're upset?"

My eyes widened, a hand raising to them almost immediately. Sora blinked, watching me curiously, though I looked away and found myself staring at the wall. It had been at least two or three years since someone had asked about why my eyes glowed. It was thanks to that…bastard that I was still even here and alive right now I guess. Thinking about him made me narrow my eyes yet again, though in anger or pain, I wasn't quite sure. I didn't know who I was when I was with him…whenever I thought about him, I constantly had to ask myself; how far am I willing to go to hide this? Would I really risk _everythin_g I have…for him?

After a moment, Sora snapped his fingers in front of my face, a sharp crack that had me blinking and turning to look towards him. I opened my mouth to apologize for dozing off for a moment though he shook his head and put an arm around my shoulders, walking with me towards the lunch room. This was a little funny actually, especially considering I was a good three or four inches taller than he was, meaning he was a little lopsided with his arm around me.

"Don't worry about it Cloud. Even you have secrets that you don't want to tell anyone, so I won't pester you about it. Just promise me…that if Rufus and Tifa want to help you, let them? Tifa has been your friends since you were kids. She loves you to death. And yeah, Rufus doesn't exactly act like he cares about anything, but if you needed him; he would be there in a heart beat and with back up."

I was silent and remained that way until we arrived at the lunch room doors, Sora letting his arm slide from my shoulders, the warmth of his side gone as he stepped back. The bell rang and he glanced upwards towards it, but didn't leave, continuing to watch me and wait for a response. As I stared at the expression on Sora's face, I knew the answer he wanted. He'd beg me to let them help me if I said no and for someone as rebellious as Sora…I couldn't let him embarrass himself that way.

With a sigh, I nodded and ran a hand through my blonde spikes, the boys face before me lighting up as I agreed to let them. He hugged me around the shoulders, forcing me to hunch over a little and I paused before returning the hug, patting his back before we released one another. "Alright, Rufus should be waiting for you at the back table. Remember, you said you'd let him help, so let him and tell him everything, okay? Bye!"

I watched him run off in the direction of his next class, giving a small smile to his back as my hands disappeared into my pockets, pushing the doors open with my hip and looking around. The lunch room was brightly lit as always, something I never understood considering how sinister the hallways and outside walls appeared. White walls with a grey tilted floor made up the cafeteria, a stage sticking out of the southern walls with a black stand and stairs. Along the walls were black banners that had white shields sewn in white across it, the top saying:** Oblivion Guardians: Track Championship**

All along the walls were banners that stated various championships won by the jocks of the school, from football to the most popular, kick boxing. He never really understood why it was so popular, but Zell Dincht sure as hell knew how to win those who gambled a shit load of money. He walked between the black tables with dark blue benches wondering why this school was so damned set on having everything match the name.

A few tables quieted down as I walked past them, one of these tables holding an ex-girlfriend of mine from Hollow Bastion Middle School, Aeris Gainborough, senior and leader of the Preps. She watched me with those bright green eyes, me only glancing for a second in her direction before continuing past. But apparently, I wasn't allowed to do that because someone suddenly stepped in my path, forcing me to a stop. I raised an eyebrow as I stared at the kid, who looked cocky for being an inch or two shorter then I was.

"You shouldn't look at your superiors without bowing, Strife." That pissed me off just a little bit. This punk didn't know who the fuck he was trying to speak down too. I saw Aeris frown towards us, obviously wondering what was going on, though I ignored any looks we were receiving from her and the others at the table. I stepped forward, the kid blinking as suddenly he was being shadowed. "Move."

He stared up at me with wide eyes before they narrowed angrily and he tilted his head, trying to look intimidating which only ended up with him looking immature and stupid. "Make me, Strife."

I would have loved to, but a hand lighted on the boys shoulder, causing him to look towards Aeris who had gotten up to deal with this herself. "Let him go. He hasn't done anything wrong and you shouldn't act out against those who are older and stronger then you. You'll get hurt."

He stared wide eyed at Aeris as if she were an alien speaking a different language, though we both ignored him. I nodded to her and she returned the gesture, watching as I walked away towards the table at the end of the lunch room. The Turks, cousins who were closest to Rufus, were all lounging on the benches; except for Elena anyway, who was a sophomore.

Reno and Rude appeared to be playing poker, Rude landing a hard punch to Reno's arm as he spotted the male slipping a card from his sleeve and Tseng was talking quietly with the one and only leader of the Suits, Rufus Shin-Ra. He was nodding to what his second in command was saying before glancing up towards me and looking around the table, a hand raising to stop anything else Tseng would have said. "Gentlemen, if you would be so kind as to leave. Cloud and I have business to take care of."

All three of them glanced towards where I stood and I suddenly wondered if they had x-ray vision that could check for any weapons on me. The way they were staring at me, I wouldn't have been surprised. Satisfied that I indeed was unarmed; Reno stood and patted Rude's shoulder as he walked past, the slightly older male following after him. Tseng was the last to leave the table, looking towards both Rufus and I. "We shall come back in ten minutes. Is that enough time to say everything you want to say?"

"Yes, Tseng, that is plenty of time. Now leave so I can talk to Cloud." Tseng bowed to Rufus before nodding towards me and walking away the way Reno and Rude had gone, my gaze following him and finally settling on Rufus. We stared at each other for a few minutes, him sitting on the bench with the hands straight and folded, his chin resting in the middle where his fingers were barely intertwined while I stood just behind the opposing bench, watching him.

Rufus Shin-Ra was someone who could be hard to get along with if you didn't know his tricks. Luckily, I had been around him enough to know the game he played and even though I was a pro at it, there were times where I leaned a few new rules. All the rumors about him were half wrong and half 'you have no idea how right you are'. He could manipulate a teacher if he put enough energy into it, but that just proved how dangerously intelligent he really was. His hair was a strawberry blonde, flecked with red strands as well as consisting of bright blonde like my own, his eyes as blue as clean and un-tainted water.

"Cloud, please sit down. I know you must be a little angry that I told Sora to give you that note."

"A little? Its bad enough Zell had to open his mouth and tell him about the challenge, but then you had to go and imply the thought of you and Tifa helping me? I told you not to manipulate my group because I don't do anything to yours!"

Rufus sighed from where he sat across from me, rubbing his temples with his thumb and index finger. If he was getting a head ache already, he was going to be in complete agony by the time I was done with him. But all of a sudden he stood and walked over towards my side of the table, seating himself beside me and smoothing down the front of his white trench coat.

I blinked in confusion at him actually having walked all the way around the table to talk to me, my tense shoulders relaxing of their own accord as the scent of cucumber melon and some type of colon greeted me. Then I understood why he had wanted to sit beside me to talk. When in the company of those he addressed as friends or allies, he wanted them to relax and open up to him. I didn't know why, but those two scents mixing together just…made me relax.

His voice broke through my thoughts, my eyes glancing towards my hands, which were clasped on the table. "Cloud…even though I am not nearly as good a friend as Tifa has been to you and I know I never will be, you still confined in me about what happened with him. With L-"

"Rufus…don't say his name. I don't care if that name isn't the real one, it still belongs to him."  
"Do…do you still…you know. Love him?"

I smiled and gave a sad laugh, a hand running through my hair as I looked over towards him. "I'm not sure actually. The way he looks at me sometimes, I know he still feels the same way he always has about me. But…it isn't possible for us to be together. I'm the leader of the rebels…I am an enemy to him and that is all I should be."

Rufus watched me in complete silence that was so thick; a sledge hammer couldn't have broken through. I continued to stare at my hands, twiddling my thumbs in silence for a few minutes, looking towards the strawberry blonde at my side as he sighed and turned his back on me, leaning back against my shoulder. Rufus showing signs of physical contact with someone younger then him-self in public was a pretty rare thing; he must have been worried about me if he was going as far as the lean against me.

I smiled to myself before beginning to laugh, my shoulders shaking and that caused Rufus to glance back at me curiously. I just shook my head and continued to laugh, a hand covering my eyes. Laughing…always made that particular pain go away. Always.

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_The Rebel Prince_

"Oh no…! Sora, will you hurry up already? We've already missed the first five minutes of the challenge…"

I cursed and finally gave up trying to find my math book, reaching deep into my locker and letting everything I had in the dark gray metal container fall into the slack back pack that was now screaming in agony at being this full. My hand slammed the locker closed and I glanced behind me, seeing Rikku already halfway down the hall, having decided to not wait for me any longer. "You bitch! Wait; don't leave me alone in here! Rikkuuuu!"

"Stop _whining_, dammit. This is disgraceful. A **Prince** whining like a little bitch."

"Don't call me a Prince. It isn't my fault that that was my dad's last name…"

"Yeah, but it fits you so well. Refusing to bow to anyone and getting beaten around like a bush."

She laughed loudly as she ran down the hall, my steps faltering before I ran faster to catch up with her. Whenever she used a metaphor, it always turned into something dealing with plants and that was a little odd. It only just proved my theory about us being like flower petals or leaves, both of which were not something good to be. I'd rather be a dog over something that always gets trampled either way.

I threw the doors open, yelping and waving my arms around like an idiot as I tried desperately to balance myself so I wouldn't fall flat on my face. My body was tilting forward, my arms going over my face to protect it before I fell from the stairs, though my landing wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. I felt arms wrap around my shoulders and grunt leave the person I had collided with, both of us somehow remained in the upright position. My hands were on the person's chest, feeling firm muscles and clean, smooth fabric. I sighed and looked up towards the males face, though my thank you dried halfway out my mouth.

Riku Bandit had an eyebrow raised curiously as he watched me, pale hands still on my shoulders as he steadied me so I wasn't leaning quite so much against him. We stared at each other for a few minutes, me wide eyed while he was just smug; those aqua green eyes glancing down towards his chest before at me. I followed his gaze and blushed as I saw my hands still over his chest, stepping away from him and whipping my hands on my jeans as if I had touched something dirty. He folded his hands behind his back, tilting his head and watching me expectantly. I just stared at him for a minute before walking past, my steps loud against the gravel pathway.

I heard a scoff behind me and glanced sharply to my side as he walked beside me, hands having been transferred to his pockets. From where we walked, we could see the soccer field, which was empty of people. A cold hand gripped my heart for a moment, the fear of having arrived to late loud present before I gave a relieved sigh at seeing two groups talking by the bleachers. I heard a chuckle to my right and I glared towards him. "What's so funny?"

"You are. One moment, you're falling on me, the next your being rude and finally you're relived. Mental disorder much?"  
"Alright, if I say thank you, will your pale ass vanish from my presence?"  
"Ooh…spoken like a true Prince. Shall I bow to _your highness_?"  
"**Fuck** **you**, Bandit!"

Suddenly I was pushed against the back of the concession stand we were passing, cursing as I saw stars from having hit my head against the black stone wall. A hand flew out to hit him, but I blinked and looked up as I saw both of my wrists pressed against the wall behind me, a small voice asking how the hell he had managed to do that without me noticing. I glared at him, opening my mouth to yell at him, but the look in his eyes froze my words.

His aqua green eyes were frozen, cold and uncaring, a person I no longer knew. In those green depths, I saw the two of us as kids, playing on the beach and laughing happily as we played tag with Tidus and Wakka. Having many a sleep-over and making crank calls to the neighbors until they called the cops and said someone had been continuously asking if their refrigerator was running. And the promise that they would always be friends in Papou Elementary, even having shared one of the legendary fruits with each other.

I snapped out of my memories and looked away towards the very edge of the soccer field, the only thing I could see from where I was being pressed, "…things aren't like they used to be, huh?"

His grip loosened just a little before tightening against, his lips harsh against my ear, his voice a whisper against my neck; warm and holding a broken promise. "No, they aren't. So maybe you should stop being so…so damned rebellious and give in to what Seifer wants. That way **you** and your **punk friends** won't get hurt. And don't you dare, _ever_ say something you aren't willing to give me."

I blushed at the smug satisfaction in his voice as I remembered my last words to him before I had been pressed against the wall. The...bastard! Still a _fucking pervert_ after all these years. I _so_ fucking doubted he was straight. I yanked my wrists from his grip, glaring at him with my fingers balled into fists ready to attack. He raised his hands in a defenseless gesture and walked away backwards, smirking as he disappeared around the corner of the concession stand, though not before blowing me a kiss.

"Mother _fucker_…"  
"Seriously…I think he has a crush on you, Prince."

My eyes were wide as I turned to stare at the person who had been watching us, Elena smiling to me as I gave a loud sigh and patted my heart. "Dammit…don't **do** that, Elena…thought it was someone who I couldn't trust at first."

"Oh; be still my heart. You trust me, my little Prince?" She laughed and patted his shoulder, smoothing her blue suit like clothing before gesturing towards the soccer field. "C'mon, they are supposed to start soon."

"Yeah…let's go." I walked with her towards the soccer field, my hands in my pockets as I watched her slip into soldier mode. It was very interesting seeing such a bright smile turn into an emotionless forming of lips, eyes straight ahead and back straight. Once I had tried to copy her and she had ended up laughing so hard, she'd fallen down off the tree she had been sitting in, leaving me to catch her. I remember she had said after ward that I wouldn't like being a soldier in a suit. It was so hard and began to effect how a person acted the majority of the time.

I glanced away towards the soccer field, my eyes skimming down the long line of people standing just beyond the white out of bounds line. I spotted Cloud in the circle formed of; Tidus, Wakka, Rikku, Tifa, Rufus and the Turks.

Not ten feet away I saw Seifer, talking with the people who were in his circle; Scarlet, Aeris, Leon, Riku, Zell and a small group of underlings. So basically we were a little outnumbered, but not by anyone important. Besides, this wasn't a battle. Just a contest I was hoping Cloud would walk away from.

Seifer glanced towards us as Elena and I walked past, smirking when I ignored him. I could feel his eyes watching our backs like a hawk, just waiting to make one wrong move so it could swoop in and feed on its prey. Did I mention how much I fucking _hated _him?

Tidus' gaze looked past Cloud to both of us; Rufus turned as he noticed the dirty blondes focus was no longer on the three leaders amongst their group, nodding towards Elena and me before turning back towards the others. Elena patted my shoulder, her soldier face still in place as she walked to stand beside Reno and Rude, both of whom looked a little bored to be there. Tifa waved towards me happily as I stepped beside Tidus, smiling to her before letting my eyes drift towards Cloud. "Sorry I'm late."

Rikku frowned, looking towards me. "You were right behind me Sora…no excuse?"

I was silent, my eyes quickly shifting towards Riku, who seemed to have been asked the same question because he looked towards me at the exact same moment. We both looked away, a fake smile plastering itself on my face as I scratched the back of my head. "Nope, sorry."

Cloud just watched me, giving a shrug after a minute. "It's okay. We should be starting in a few minutes-"

"Correction. This challenge is starting now." All of us looked towards Seifer, my lips being pulled into a frown as I thought about how he had approached us without anyone noticing. The only sign that Cloud didn't like that they were getting started so suddenly was the slight twitch in each eye before he turned and nodded towards Seifer.

"Alright Almasy; what do I need to do in this soccer challenge?"

"You need to try and catch, block or dodge five goals. Doesn't matter which, but it needs to be five."

I watched as Cloud nodded slowly, catching the gloves that were thrown in his direction from the leader of the jocks, Seifer turning away with a swish of his white trench coat. A cold feeling settled into my gut as my eyes refused to turn away from Cloud, his hands quick in putting and strapping the gloves into place. My gaze continued to follow him, as did everyone else's, as he walked towards the goal where Leon was setting up soccer balls.

Even before they began, I knew something bad was going to happen. The others felt it probably better then even I was; Rikku was hugging Wakka's arm, Tifa had her arms crossed over her chest, Elena's soldier face had cracked a little emotion being shown fearfully. Even Rufus was worried, biting his lower lip as he watched Leon get ready for the kick.

Everything seemed to slow down as the leg swung down, the trigger to some cannon being shot off it sounded like when foot met ball. The red striped ball became a blur as it took off for the blonde in the goalie net, Cloud cursing in irritation as he caught it, a foot sliding back to keep him from stumbling. A small cheer left our group from Tidus and the others, though Rufus, Tifa and I all looked towards Seifer instead, seeing his eyes narrow slowly.

I swallowed my fears, looking back towards where Cloud was, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach now. The second kick was a goal, the blonde having jumped to the side to catch it, only to have the ball turn and slap against the net. The third kick was a block, Cloud having slapped the ball away from the goal before it could enter. Only two more and this would all be over, nothing to worry about. But as Leon's foot began to go back, slow motion seemed to take hold again as I watched Seifer grin and nod towards Scarlet just as the ball was hit towards Cloud directly.

"Hey Cloudy!" My eyes widened as Cloud glanced towards Scarlet, the loud crack of the ball being noticed too late as the blonde cursed and looked forward again, just in time to get hit in the stomach with enough force to make him fall to his knees in pain. A loud cackle was heard from Scarlet, the back of her hand just a little to the side of her mouth as she let them hear her laughing at his agony without care, Elena creating a fist and beginning to surge forward. Reno and Rude both stopped her though, the red head shaking his head as he glared towards Scarlet. "Not now Elena…we need to help get Cloud out of here."

She paused, glaring at Scarlet who only smiled to all of them sweetly, before letting Reno and Rude let her towards where Cloud was being helped up by Rufus and Tifa. As everyone rushed forward to help the fallen junior, I stared from where I stood, frozen it seemed to the spot. But as Seifer was walked past, he waved good-bye to me, smiling. "See you at lunch tomorrow, Prince."

I suddenly realized why Seifer had gotten Scarlet to shout out like that: So the last shot had never been kicked…

**

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Dark:** I think I enjoy making Seifer an evil bastard. No idea why, it's just fun. Rufus is a tab bit better in this one too, way different from his Gold Dragon self in ADP. Sorry for any typo's I might have missed, probably a shit load...anyway, to answer your reviews: 

**Staryday:** Here's your chance to review better, lovely! Yeah, work sucks. I wouldn't know, don't have a job, but I am pretending to feel your pain (gives cookie)

**Mandeth:** ...I think I love you. Your one of my favorites now, which means...you get a cookie! (hands cookie) Anyway, I'm happy you liked this chapter. Really, the only reason they have those last names is become I'm lazy and didn't feel like creating snazzy creative ones XDD

**serena429:** Update! Congrats on your victory.

**Dark: **Okay everyone! I will see you sometime next month with a new update!


	4. Heartless Gestures

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the KH characters**

**Dark:** I give everyone permission to throw oversized pieces of play-doh at me. I am so sorry for not having an update...perfect time to get a road block in the story, you know? Anyway, this might be a bit of a messy chapter; one because I rushed during the first few pages on Microsoft and two, I was trying to fit as much as possible into this. I hadn't expected this to be so short...it's frustrating. Alright, enjoy, Read and Review, I apologize again.

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Chapter Three

_Heartless Gestures_

_An Independent Leader_

I should have known that bastard would pull something like this. Why hadn't I seen it? Am I so infatuated with him that I'm beginning to loose my common sense? _I should have known_.

When I started to wake up, I new it was around midnight. I didn't even need to see the red numbers of the alarm clock beside me to know that. It was just…everything felt so calm, so at peace for the moment. So safe. I opened my eyes slowly, just staring blankly at the ceiling for a few moments before sitting up with a hiss of pain, the ache in my lower stomach still very present. When that ball had hit me in the stomach, it felt like a car had slammed into me. I couldn't breathe and I most definitely couldn't move for the whole few minutes that it took for Rufus and Tifa to get me off the field.

But what only made it worse was that I could hear the whore, Scarlet, laughing at my pain while Seifer just smirked in satisfaction. He had never planned to let Sora go from his torment. After all, among our whole group, Sora was one of the most rebellious. A person who was as power crazy as Seifer would never have let someone like that walk freely. Once Rufus and Tifa had gotten me home, they forced me to lie down, hoping it would make most of the pain go away. And granted, it did dull immensely, but as soon as I hit these sheets; out like a light.

And now, at precisely twelve twenty-eight in the morning, I was trying to build up enough courage to stand and walk out of the room in hopes of reaching the bathroom. With a sigh made of half annoyance and half pain, I turned in my bed, letting my feet slide gently across the edge and begin to steady themselves on the darkly carpeted floor of my room. Even I knew it would take a while to get even the tiniest bit closer to the edge, so I turned my attention to my room, wondering if I should rearrange it. The navy blue walls were in need of another coat of paint, not that you could tell from all the band posters. From My Chemical Romance to Green Day, from Good Charlotte to Rise Against, my wall was a mess of horribly arranged poster placements. So I wasn't the neatest person around, big whoop.

My floor was a midnight blue and the curtains that hid the pale light coming from the moon were only a tad bit lighter then my carpet; Tifa had often referred to my room as depressing sorrow, whatever the hell that meant. She always had a reason for why I was such a quiet person, but I doubt she had forgotten what had happened. It had been a very painful experience. Even more so then this one.

The ringing of the front door broke through my thoughts and I was silent for a moment, hoping that the person would just go away. I was so not in the mood to hear the constant screeching of the front door. The ringing was heard again, only this time, pressed down; an obvious sign that whoever was outside knew I was awake.

"Mother _fucker_!" So it was inappropriate, who cares. I was trying not to think about walking and the person at the door was urging me to move faster. After a moment of sighing and fear that the pain would get worse, I stood, biting back a gasp as my stomach punched me from the inside. I had been afraid it would hurt when I stood and I had been fucking right. The door bell did that annoying 'press in for a minute' thing and I slowly made my way out of the room, a little bent over with my hand on the wall while the other lightly caressed my stomach.

"This had better not be some freaking telemarketer. What do you-," anything I might have said was turned into a gasp as I was pushed back into my house; the one who had been annoying me with the door bell entered and turned his back to me, shutting the door with a loud slam. I know I should have been furious, should have been mad at the fact someone would enter my house uninvited; but anything I might have said disappeared from my mind as I just stared at the brunette strands of hair that seemed to have gotten longer without my noticing.

Finally, he turned, his blue eyes staring deep into mine; it didn't take a genius to know that his frozen gaze was sending unseen shivers down my back. Leon began to step towards me and I blinked for a moment before backing up with each step he took, having momentarily forgotten the pain in my stomach. Had I even had a pain in my stomach? It all seemed ages ago right now. I jumped as my back hit the wall, probably looking like a deer in the headlights as Leon stopped inches away, eyes narrowing just a little. "Are you stupid? Why did you even take that challenge?"

That knocked me out of my daze. Doesn't matter who the fuck he is, nobody makes me feel inferior. "Fuck off; I have a responsibility to the people in my group. Besides, shouldn't you be out with Seifer, getting drunk or whatever you jocks do for fun, Leon?"

The corners of his lips twitched and I realized he was giving me a small smile, though it seemed a little pained. "Wow…only a few months ago, you had been calling me Squall. What happened?"

"You hate that name. Why should I call you it?"

"I gave you permission to…"

"Oh and what does that have to do with anything?"

"I was starting to get the impression you had a thing for me."

"Well apparently, you were mis--mph!"

My eyes were wide as his lips pressed gently against mine, his frozen orbs hidden behind long lashed eyelids, one of his hands caressing my cheek softly. This was the thing I had been fighting for so long now. We would never be meant for each other. I was the leader of a group that hated the Jocks, leader of the Rebels. And he…was one of those jocks. That meant I couldn't...shouldn't feel anything for him. Didn't it?

It took a moment, but I was the one to break away, Leon opening his eyes to stare down at me in complete relaxation. He was ready for either rejection or acceptance; I was fully ready to give either of the two, but for some reason, neither of the words would leave me. I tried to speak rejection and my heart gave a painful thud, forcing me to close my mouth. I tried acceptance and found my throat clenched up, refusing to let me say the words I wanted so desperately to say. After my attempts ended in failure, I sighed and gave a low laugh, shaking my head as I backed away from him.

Leon watched me as I walked backwards until I bumped into another wall, those low and almost hysterical laughs leaving me in slow puffs of air. And though Leon…no. And though Squall was never good with emotions, even he understood when someone was being pushed too far along the edge of choosing his friends or someone he was currently fascinated with. He cleared his throat, walking away from me finally; a part of me was thanking whoever had given him common sense, while another part of me wanted to hold out a hand, tell him to come back. The latter sighed in relief as he paused at the door, glancing back towards where I stood. "I'll let you think it over. But Cloud…I won't wait for you forever."

And with those words, he left my suddenly pain filled self to be alone in the hallway, closing the door with a quiet snap. Those little laughs turned into a sob as I slid down the wall to sit against the floor, my eyes skyward as the tears came forth, hot and scalding across my cheeks. "If I say yes, I'd hurt everyone who looks up to me. But If I say no…I'd be breaking my own heart…"

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_An Ice Prince_

"_I can see how he watches me, how he just stares in longing whenever I pass him. How whenever we walk past each other in the hallway, he purposefully bumps into me, just to feel my body against his. I understand because…I feel the same way for him."_

I would never understand the Independent Leader of the Rebels. They all say that about him; about how he's an Independent Leader, someone who would rather sacrifice himself then let others be along for the ride. I hadn't ever understood what they meant. But it's starting to make sense now. During the challenge today, I had just assumed he was doing it to piss Seifer off; not that I would blame him for that, he **is **an annoying prick, after all. But after seeing how mad Prince got when Cloud accepted, I understood that he wasn't doing it to piss Seifer off. He was doing it to make Sora Prince's life just a little easier.

My boots were disturbingly loud against the concrete sidewalk that was in front of the neighborhood where Cloud lived. They made sharp clacks that traveled in an echo down the street, the sound bouncing off the paneled walls of the small houses. It was a surprise to see Cloud still in this area. After that accident three years ago, one would think his mom would have gotten out of the hospital by now. Then again, mako poisoning was a serious illness that effected both mental and physical health. I could remember it like it was yesterday; the mako had completely soaked him. The neon liquid had gotten in the seams of his clothing and had glowed with an almost magical essence. It had also somehow made its way into his eyes. The blue gaze that glowed with what people called a power while all it really happened to be was mako that had not been removed properly.

A horn honking made me jump and I glanced to the side with wide eyes, a growl leaving me as I heard the loud burst of laughter that flowed forth from the beat up old Toyota. Zell let himself hang partially out the window, bringing the car to a stop near me and placing it in park before actually saying anything. "You know, I have never seen you jump before."

"And if you ever say anything to anybody, you'll never see anything again."

"Ooh, tough words coming from you, Leon. Going to kill me?"

"No, I'll just put duct tape over your eyes."

Zell laughed again and nodded to the far side of the Toyota, leaning over and opening to door with a click of the lock. "Get in. I'll drive you to your house."

After a moment of hesitation, knowing full well that Zell was a crazy driver and I was stupid for even thinking about it, I slid into the seat of the car and closed the door. Just as the snap of the metallic gears holding the door firmly in place were heard, he took off like a bat out of hell, making me remember one of those rules from Drivers Education my Sophomore year; **Always Buckle Up**.

"So, what are you doing all the way out here? You live, like, ten miles away."

"Oh…I was just checking up on someone. They were sick today."

"Really? Are they okay?"

"I don't know…he didn't seem okay when I left."

"What? He got the flu?"

_No. It's more like he has a broken heart if anything._ "Yeah, I think that's what it was."

"Too bad. What's his name?"

"Eh…you probably don't know him."

"Well, I might if you tell me his name."

"Trust me on this, you don't know him."

Zell threw me what must have been a very suspicious glare, but I hadn't been paying attention to him, instead turning my focus onto the houses that were flashing by in bright swirls of color. If I could trust anyone in my group, Zell would be the one. He had connections into every last group and happened to be well liked by just about all the people who went to our school. But even he wouldn't understand this.

I can see how he watches me, how he just stares in longing whenever I pass him. How whenever we walk our separate ways in the hallway, he purposefully brushes against me, just to feel my body against his. I understand how he feels…because I feel the exact same way for him. But there is always a complication. I would never admit to it. Not to my friends or the people who are in my group. But neither would Cloud…and all because he can't choose between the person he loves and the people who need him.

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_A Rebel Prince_

I hate alarm clocks. Not the throw it across the room in the hopes it breaks hatred, but set it on fire and watch it suffer hatred. That is how three of my previous alarm clocks have died and my mom is getting just a little bit pissed off about it. 'You burn one more alarm clock and I'll burn your ass!' was what she usually said. Now, whether she would actually do it or not is not something I was hoping to ever find out about. After all, getting your finger burnt, never mind the nether region area, hurts like hell. So when the alarm clock rang this morning, I did the thing most people seem to do; I threw it across the room, only to watch it become imbedded in the chalk white wall.

I heard the curse from the kitchen, my mom slamming down whatever she had been working on to stomp across the hallway to where my room was. With a gasp of fear, I jumped from my bed, tripping a few times on the sheets that had wrapped around my ankles and made it just in time to pull the clock from the wall when the door was opened. I blinked up at my mom, the alarm clock in my hand, my frame hiding the imprint in the wall and a hand rubbing my eyes tiredly. "Hey, what's the rush? I was going to scream good morning as soon as I was dressed, you know."

My mom, despite her belief, is a very pretty woman. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, two curvy strands at the side of her face that made her tan face all the more noticeable, like the bright sapphire orbs that stared out in a suspicious glare. There were a few minutes of looking around the room in suspicion before she gave a sigh and left, closing the door behind her. I huffed in relief and looked down at the clock, covered in a chalk like substance made from the wall. Looking around for one of the posters I only hung up when I put a hole in the wall, I tossed the alarm clock onto the bed and leaned down, picking up a poster featuring My Chemical Romance; all dressed in that weird school outfit they wore in the music video I'm Not Okay (I Promise).

It was sort of funny how many posters I had. Most of them were on my walls now, but a good number were seated on the floor or under the bed, waiting to hide another hole that I've made on my own or that one of my friends have helped with. I remember the first indention in the wall was made by Cloud and me; I had been sitting on my bed, Cloud talking to me before I suddenly launched onto him. He went spiraling backwards and one of his elbows went into the wall. It had been hilarious at the time and it still was. Well, to me anyway. Cloud had felt bad about it for some reason.

Satisfied with the placement and selection of the poster, I gave a small nod and glanced around my room, sighing. Though my room was nothing special, it was probably cleanest of all my friends. They had always asked me who my maid was and whenever I said I was the one who cleaned the room, they wanted to know if I wore a maid's outfit while cleaning. Don't see why it's so weird. Last time I was in Riku's room, it looked like a war had gone on while he hadn't been there.

At the thought of the bastard, I remembered yesterday, being pushed up against the concession stand and I could feel the heat rushing to my face. If I looked at myself in the mirror, I'd probably be blushing. I cursed and rubbed my cheeks in embarrassment, thankful that no one else was around at the moment. Riku had a lot of nerve even touching me after what he did. How he just abandoned me to join a bunch of jerks like the Jocks.

Giving one my cheeks a sharp slap to bring me back to today, I wandered towards my mirrored closet, opening it with a little bit of effort. It would be better if I just left it open. The damn doors got more stubborn with each passing day. My hands slid along the selection of dark colored clothing I had, only a few shirts actually having any color and that was only because they had a few bands that I liked on them. Digging my hand into the very back corners of my closet, I pulled out a pair of blue jeans that had a few rips on the knees and lower, tossing them on the bed. And after a bit more scrounging around, I found a black shirt with a Slipknot logo on the front.

Once I was completely dressed, I closed my closet door, cursing as it give a squealing sound of protest; it was a surprise mom didn't come running into the room to see if I had broken anything. The damn thing closed finally and I examined myself in the mirror, nodding in satisfaction. "Yes, you are one sexy little rebel boy, aren't you?"

"Well, if you consider rebellious short people who still have a smidge of baby fat on them sexy, then yeah, you're sexy," announced a voice that became more clear as the owner entered the room, smirking to me as he ran a hand through his dirty blonde locks. Tidus was probably the only person my mom would let into our house without calling the cops; mainly because he didn't dress as darkly as most of my other friends did, but also because he knew how to charm older women.

His choice of clothing for the day was a yellow shirt that was just a tad too bright for my tastes, the sleeves having been ripped into thin shreds; black pants hugged his hips, held tight around his waist by an attached buckle while the random belts and clip hung down, just begging to be pulled on. And just a little under the shadow of his pant legs were worn black converse sneakers, having flames on the front of them that faded into nothing across the sides. Around his neck was his 'symbol' as he called it, hanging on a white golden chain with the silver amulet gleaming brightly against his shirt.

I rolled my eyes and turned away from the mirror, facing him instead of his reflection. "Why are you wearing yellow…? That color is way too bright."

"I look good in yellow."

"You look like a banana…"

"Then I'm a _sexy_ banana."

"…_there isn't such thing as a sexy banana!_"

"Oh, just like there aren't any _purple vegetables_?"

"…shut up."

I ignored his laughter and turned away, reaching down to tug on the sneakers that looked like they'd been pushed through the grinder on too many times. He was referring to the day where we were forced to study fruits and vegetables for Foods and I just so happened to mistake a grape fruit for a vegetable. I had gotten a letter grade drop for that stupid mistake, along with a large sticker that said 'Good Job' on it. Tidus never stopped making fun of me for it. Fucking sticker…I am so not in kindergarten anymore.

"Man that was so funny. I wonder if Mrs. Yunalesca remembers that…"

"How can't she, I was the only one to ever mistake a grape fruit for a vegetable…," I muttered, really not wanting to remember that day. Even I had to admit it was ridiculous, the word fruit is added onto the word. Tidus and I walked out of my room, me pausing to close the door with a secure slam before hurrying a little to catch up with him. My house was small, but cozy. Only one hallway held the bathroom, my room, my mom's room and the guest room; before the hallway, was the living room and kitchen.

Tidus and I chatted quietly until we got to the front door, in which I slowed down, causing him to look back at me with blinking eyes. I put a finger up to my lips, shaking my head when Tidus opened his mouth to say something. I carefully looked towards where my mom was in the kitchen, cooking something probably filled with poison for all I knew. Making sure she really was preoccupied with whatever she was currently cooking, I unlocked the door and began to open it when a pan slammed against my rear.

"Sora James Prince; where are you going?"

I looked back to my mother, the evil woman who held up the pan menacingly as if she were about to hit me again. Ignoring Tidus' confused question ('your middle name is James?'), I glared to her. "Mom, for fucks's sake! Why'd you hit my ass with a frying pan?"

"Watch your language! And I just made breakfast; you aren't going anywhere without eating."

She sent me a frozen glare before turning away, swinging the frying pan in her hand as she walked back to the kitchen, a frightened Tidus following after her. Seeing as I couldn't leave the poor guy to my mothers dangerous pan swinging, I sulked after the two, gingerly sitting down in the chair. One couldn't understand the pain that was radiating from my backside right now; it was pulsating, she'd hit me so hard. Looking at the place of yellow mush, black strips of meat and a large blob of dough, I grimaced and began to eat.

Yeah, it tasted just how it sounded. Crispy, runny and completely hard to swallow; that sounds very wrong, but everything about it was true. Eating it all seemed to take forever, though when I looked at the clock after I'd finished; it was only fifteen minutes later. I sighed and stood, walking towards the door again. "Alright, I ate your breakfast, okay? Tidus and I have got to get going now…"

"Oh, I'll give you a ride. I have a little while before I start getting ready for work."

Surprisingly enough, that was all that really happened at my house. Tidus and I piled into the back seat while Mom got into the drivers seat of her beat up Toyota; yeah, it was old, but at least it got from point A to point B. All that was needed in a car. The scenery was completely autumn sprinkled, leaves swirling around in bright yellows and reds, flying upwards and around depending on which direction the cars were passing them.

Mom arrived at the school's back doors, a few people looking up to see who had been dorky enough to catch a ride from 'mommy', though after seeing who we were, they didn't care anymore. We were the 'Jock's property', official tormenting tools to those bastards. As Tidus and I walked towards the stairs, we noticed Kairi talking to Rikku in a high pitched, excited voice. How girls could get so excited other things, I would never know.

My thoughts on the matter were interrupted though by Tidus, who nudged me hard enough to have me glaring at me. "Well…? You were going to tell her today. Now would be a good time, before school starts."

I stared at him silently for a moment, letting my eyes fall to the paved ground in which I was walking on. "Yeah…but what if-"

"It's going to hurt either way. But it only proves she's really a good person if she accepts that. If she doesn't, we don't need her around."

That made my brain freeze everything but the muscles that were moving in my legs; Tidus was right. If she could accept what I had to tell her, then it did prove she was a good person. If she didn't…well, whatever. Just a few weeks of being depressed before I got over it. I blinked and glanced around as I realized my feet had stopped moving; I was in front of the stairs and Kairi looked from Tidus to me in confusion. "Tidus just said…you have something you want to tell me…"

I sent Tidus a first rate glare, but he ignored me, staring at the ceiling in silence. After a moment, a sigh left my lungs and I grabbed Kairi's hand, pulling her into the school. She blinked, stumbling to a stand and following after me, looking very confused. Not that I would blame her; whenever you heard that your boyfriend needed to talk to you about something, it almost always turned out bad.

We came to a stop in the hallway, Kairi watching my back while I continued to stare away from her, at the wall or door or whatever would catch my attention; anything but into her eyes. Silence passed for a moment; it seemed like hours once she had finally spoke. "Sora…what's this about…?

"I wanna break up, Kairi…"

Her eyes got wide and she grabbed the fabric around my shoulders, shaking me lightly. "What…? Why? Did I do something wrong? Sora, why would you just suddenly say that to me? What did I do?"

"You didn't _do_ anything. It's just that…I…I'm…"

"What? You're what?"

"I'm…gay."

More silence passed and I only took a small glance at her face before looking away quickly again. Where before she had appeared as if she were going to cry, now all that he saw was anger; the emotion lit up her eyes like emerald gems. She gave a disgusted sound and pushed me away, the bell ringing almost exactly at the time she opened her mouth. "You fucking fag! You've been _using me_? Like some…some whore? Is that all I am to you Sora? Well, fuck you! See if I care!"

She gave me a glare that had the blood inside me run cold, turning away and walking down the hall towards her first hour. I stared at the ground for a few minutes, distantly seeing Tidus in the crowd of students that had begun to swarm the halls. He pushed a bit, trying to break free from the crowd to talk to me, but I didn't want to hear anything. Any comfort and I would probably start getting teary eyed; if there was something I wouldn't do, it was cry in front of people.

Turning away, I walked towards the gym, only making it there because the path to the locker rooms had been memorized. Students talked happily around me, some accidentally bumping into my shoulders or stomach, apologizing before going back to their random conversations; at the moment, I felt numb. It usually was a good feeling, a balanced area between sadness and happiness. Of all things to be right now, happy would be a very welcome release.

With a sigh, I walked down the stairs to the locker room, leaning my head against the cold surface. All around, boys changed into their gym clothes, paying me no attention; until I felt a hand sliding into my back pocket and a body pressing against my back. I gave a jump, that numb feeling disappearing into fear pretty quickly. My mouth opened to scream, but a hand clamped over it, turning the sound into a muffled yelp.

Almost immediately I paused, the scent of what a certain person called 'ocean mist' greeting my nostrils and my fear immediately turned into confusion with anger. "Riku! The hell are you doing?"

"Hmm? What, I thought you like my attention?" I could hear that bastards smirk without even looking. Who knew what he was thinking; not even when we had been friends did I understand him. With a sigh, I leaned my head against the locker again, attempting to ignore him and silently repeat the phrase 'I wish he would go away' over and over again in the hopes it would happen. Well, that did happen, but something…very different did. My eyes opened wide as I felt a hand sliding along the front of my pants, his hands inches from my groin.

This would be when my confusion turned into instant panic. "WHAT THE HELL? RI-"

My voice was muffled and Riku gave a laugh into my ear. "I heard from a red headed bird that you were gay, Sora…so I have an offer for you. I'll start leaving you alone at lunch…if you'll let me have my way with you whenever I want…"

**To Be Continued…

* * *

**

**Dark: **(gasp) Riku, you horny little dog, you!

**Riku: **(grin)

**Sora:** (whimper)

**Dark:** Saying it now; I am more busy during Sophomore year them Freshmen, so the chapters will take longer to write. Might be more then a month, just saying it now. There won't be any review things today...technically _not _supposed to be on the computer until after I clean the bathroom. Which I havent. So cookies for all, lots of love.


	5. Will You Hate Me?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the KH/FF characters**

**Dark:** I wonder if I should just call myself evil now...? I did change my author name...

**Sora:** Which is a stupid author name...Evil Pajamas for crying out loud...

**Dark: **I didn't ask you! Anyway, I've become a little obsessed with the name, so I'm going to use it for a while. I have a thing with getting bored of name and changing at random. My friends are driven crazy by it when I get a new RP idea. Alright, tah-tah! A new chapter. Sorry if they seem a little out of character, I was trying to get a handle on their personalities. I think I came pretty close to how I made them though...

**Sora:** Tch...like I'd willingly make-out with Riku...

**Dark: **Oh please, you so would...Read and Review!

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Chapter Four

_Will You Hate Me?_

_The Rebel Prince_

This was not happening…of all the perverted bastards in the world, Riku had to be the one who put the moves on me. And red-headed bird; was Kairi telling the whole world in vengeance? For some reason, I doubted it.

I began to honestly struggle now, cursing as his grip around my waist tightened, his hand still pressed over my mouth to prevent me from shouting at him. I pulled one of my arms free and grabbed the hand over my mouth, yanking it away so I could talk without it coming out muffled. "Oh, you have some _fucking nerve_ asking me that. After you _ditched_ me for the popular kids in Hollow Bastion? **Fuck** no and get the **fuck** off!"

All I received for my heart felt anger was a chuckle as Riku pressed me against him more, hand sliding to my chest now that it wasn't covering my mouth. "I'm surprised you don't remember Sora. You told me to do whatever would make me happiest and when I did what you said, joined track and all that, you were the one who stopped talking to me; because I was suddenly 'too cool' to be anywhere near you, as you would put it."

Silence passed between us for a few minutes before I gave a small laugh, shaking my head. "…I think we might have both agreed to part ways actually. When we tried hanging out with one another, either my friends would start bugging you or your friends would start bugging me. But still…" I glared back at him, a hand pushing at his side. I only had one that could do more then wiggle at the moment. "…hell no am I going to be your little bitch! Just because you want a quick fuck every now and then, you think I'll forget all the crap you've been putting my friends and me through? Let go, cause it ain't gonna happen."

As his hands removed themselves from my frame, I turned myself around, fully prepared to give him another piece of my mind. "Oh, and another thing—mmph!"

His lips pressed to mine softly, my chin between his thumb and index finger to keep me from jerking away. Of all the words I would have used to describe Riku – bastard, pervert, Seifer's puppy, Jock, Promise breaker – I never thought 'gentle' would be added. Or the fact that just the touch of his lips was making me weak in the knees. It was all I could do to keep standing, let alone even attempt lifting a hand to push him away; which apparently, gave him the idea that he could deepen the kiss.

Not that I minded on the inside. Hell, I could hear a little voice in the back of my skull squealing with delight with each shift of Riku's mouth. But then again, I had an image to keep up and if someone happened to walk down here, I was so screwed. As soon as his fingers fell away from my face, I jerked my head to the side, fighting the blush that was trying to show it's reddened goodness on my cheeks. My mouth opened to say something, wincing at the sound of my voice; it was like I had run a marathon. Riku, I noticed, looked as if he hadn't done anything worth taking a few breaths over. "As nice as this is and all…I don't think…"

"Alright, for starters, don't think."

"…what?" He'd interrupted me to say _that_? Riku gave me a stupid look and slid his hands down my arms, one gripping my wrist and dragging it to the back of his neck.

"Sora, you ever wonder why Juliet and Romeo died?"  
"…not really."  
"Because they _thought_ about what they were doing. You're worried someone might find us, right?"  
"…maybe."  
"Don't try and hide it, you're face reveals everything. Like the fact you _enjoyed_ that kiss."

I glared at him as he shared with me a smug smirk and was taking my hand away from his neck, when his grip on my wrist tightened, keeping the limb where it was. Riku began to gradually press closer to me, a knee beginning to slide between my legs as his other hand forced my free hand against the lockers behind me. "Sora, I'm trying to teach you something, so don't be a little baby and try to run away."

"I am **not**-"

"Shut up; before you bitch about how you're 'not a baby', listen to me. When have you ever tried doing things for the simple **pleasure** of doing it? Never, because you're afraid someone might _find_ you. So…I'm going to make it look like you have no choice, just in case someone _does _come down here. The very small chance someone actually will, but just in case…" The grip he had on my wrists tightened as he slammed them against the lockers, my eyes widening at the predatory gleam his aqua marine green eyes currently possessed as they stared at me. In truth, I was very afraid at the moment; never, not once, had Riku looked at me like an appetizer to dinner.

"And now…participate this time, hm?" He slid his body completely against mine, his knee touching the lockers between my legs. The sudden roughness he was giving me made a small part of my heart swoon while my more rebellious side growled in challenge; not out loud, of course, but it certainly did make me question why he was the dominating one. Before I could even think about that further, I realized why as his lips claimed mine; he had more experience, especially when it came to kissing.

He licked my lower lip slowly before sucking it into his mouth, smirking as a small moan I couldn't catch in time passed up from my throat. He knew the effects he was having on me and enjoyed it apparently as he kissed me again, not bothering to ask for entrance as his tongue pushed its way into my mouth. My thoughts were scattered and the last thing on my mind right now was stopping; I didn't even notice that he'd let go of my wrists until I felt his silk soft hair beneath my fingers, gripping the silver strands as I pushed our lips harder together. Sometime during him releasing me and wrapping his arms around my waist, I had begun to kiss back, purring absently against his lips.

Any doubts I might have had about my sexual preference before now were completely erased; despite how nice it had been to kiss Kairi and lay with her, she couldn't compare to a guy. She was missing the strong arms and the heat that only a guy seemed to have when you were cuddled against them. In my hazed mind, I could feel Riku's lips sliding away from mine, kissing my neck slowly as his hands slid up my shirt. His fingers were cold on my heated skin, making me shiver and bury my face in the space between my arm and his neck.

He chuckled, a sound that I could feel against the side of my face as it slipped out from his chest. I raised an eyebrow as a thought struck me before my tongue slid against the smooth, pale skin, earning me a surprised gasp. With a small smirk, I nipped my way up his throat, licking the shell of his ear slowly. His hands tightened around me, proof that he was just as vulnerable to me as I to him. My hands slid to his shirt, beginning to slide underneath the material before the loud scream of the bell surprised us both. We jumped a good few feet away from one another, breathing heavily as we watched each other; his taller height making me look upwards slightly, not that I'd admit it.

As the others began to shuffle their way into the locker room, Riku disappeared around the corner, headed for where he had put his books. I watched as he walked away, slipping my back pack over a shoulder and making my way to the stairs that would lead me to the gym. While I walked, my mind trailed back to what I had done with Riku…and realized I wasn't bothered by it. I had just made out with a jock and then some. With a laugh, I ran a hand through my spiky hair, a little yelp leaving me as an arm wrapped around my shoulders and forcing me to a stop, mere inches from the door. "After school, meet me in the park. I promise to not bother you at lunch…"

I stared in wide eyed surprise as Riku slid past me, pushing the door open silently and leaving me speechless. Where before, I had thought he was just using me, now I really wasn't so sure. I stood there for a minute before shaking my head to clear it of my confused thoughts, walking out into the gym.

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_A Loyal Subject_

"_My loyalty will always be dedicated to my cousins. We are the Turks; we are strong and we serve our leader, Rufus Shin-Ra, without question. But even I, one of his perfect soldiers, refuse to bow like a dog. Or wilt like a flower…"_

Study Hall always bored me. All we ever did in this so-called _class _was sit around and be quiet. Unless, of course, Scarlet was here; she always managed to start up something that disturbed the peace. A small smile found my face, my hand curling into a fist at the memory of yesterday. Oh, how good it felt to punch her in the face…I wished she was here so I could do it again, but she had unfortunately decided to skip. Realizing my show of emotion, I made a quick glance to my cousins just in case they saw it and put back in place my 'perfect soldier' expression. On more then one occasion, Tseng had scolded me like I was a child for showing any emotion like that. As he often put it, soldiers felt nothing.

So lost in my thoughts had I become, I didn't hear Reno whispering my name until he nudged me lightly. I blinked and looked over to them, blushing slightly at seeing all three of them fixing me with curious looks. Or rather, two curious looks and a displeased frown from Tseng. "Elena, will you please pay attention? Rufus text messaged me a moment ago, not that you noticed. Daydreaming isn't something a soldier does, remember that."

"Aw, leave her alone, Tseng. Not her fault that this class is boring as can be," Reno smirked as he leaned back in his chair, Rude giving a small nod in agreement. With a sigh, Tseng let my minor slip up pass and I mouthed 'thank you' to Reno when Tseng wasn't looking. He waved a hand as if it was nothing and then leaned in closer. "So, boss, what'd he send you?"

Tseng looked at the message before revealing it's contents. "One of the lower members of our group has heard that there might be a fight after school, between the leader of the Neutrals and the leader of the Sluts. In case this is true, Reno and Rude will stay after school to make sure the Sluts play fair and Elena will please meet me in the hallway in five minutes."

I snapped to attention as I realized I was needed for something, excitement filling me. Despite my minor dislike to always having to check that my face showed no emotion, as soldiers shouldn't, getting called by our leader was a joy I couldn't express. Though why he had chosen me when Reno and Rude were far better - whether as a team or working solo – then I was, especially when it came to 'special assignments'. But I didn't question it; after all, my cousins were already far ahead of me, asking in my place.

"Hey…Tseng, why does he want Elena? She's better when it comes to teaching snobby bitches a lesson then Rude and me. No offense, El, but you aren't as good as we are in certain assignments," Reno frowned, Rude pushing his sunglasses back up to his nose before quietly agreeing.

Tseng frowned for a moment, thinking about it. He had probably been thinking the same thing. "…I'm not sure. But if he wants Elena to handle it, then she will." He looked towards the clock and gave a nod, glancing in my direction now. "You better leave now. I doubt Rufus would appreciate waiting for you."

With a nod, I rose, pausing on my way past Mr. Highwind. As usual, the old man was sleeping comfortably in his chair, mouth wide open and face directed towards the ceiling. My hesitant steps stopped every time his snore became too loud and in seconds I had become the center of attention, everyone holding their breath to see if I would make it. Oh, how I hated being the one everyone focused on. It always seemed to make me nervous, especially when I was separated from my cousins.

On my way past Sora, one of the kids in the back decided to be a smart ass and slam their book against the ground. Mr. Highwind jumped up with a curse and I froze with eyes wide as his gaze began to circle the room towards me. Beside me, Sora jumped up, pushing me towards the door; though I wasn't out of the room, the door was too far to the side for the old man to see me. I clung to the frame, watching as Mr. Highwind glared in Sora's direction, the rebel stammering a few times as he tried to come up with an excuse. "I…well, I'm standing…and…you see I wanted…so…"

I bit my lip and looked towards the others, all of whom were watching Sora hopefully, willing the rebel to say something intelligent so he wouldn't get a detention or something of the sort. Getting an idea, I waved my hands frantically, stepping closer to the door so Mr. Highwind wouldn't see. Rude caught my movements and I mouthed something to him, having to repeat it twice before he understood.

He gave a nod and whispered the message to Tseng, who delivered it. "Mr. Highwind, sir? Sora needed to go to the bathroom, but didn't want to wake you; so he got up to let himself out, but then one of the students in the back slammed a book down…"

The older man frowned and rubbed his chin, the scrape of his fingers against the hair stubble around his face heard from even where I was standing. "…alright, but hurry the fuck up. That ass faced boss of mine doesn't like anyone in the halls during class."

Sora gave a visible sigh and nodded, walking towards me. I opened the door when he reached it and slipped out with him, giving a small laugh once the metallic object had closed. "Phew…I thought you were going to get in trouble. Thanks a lot, Prince; but now I owe you…"

He smiled and shook his head softly. "Don't worry about it. Reno and Rude helped me out when I got in a fight not too long ago. So technically, we're even."

As he looked ahead of him again, I frowned softly. Something…was different about Sora. I couldn't put my finger on it, but he seemed…almost relieved. His shoulders were relaxed when on previous days they were almost always tensed; his eyes, at one time having shifted around every corner as if a car was about to come barreling towards him, now calm and looking straight ahead. I opened my mouth to ask him about it, when he grinned and put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. "Your company awaits you, Miss Elena."

My eyes widened and I looked away from him, seeing Rufus Shin-Ra leaning against my locker, arms folded over his chest as he stared at the ceiling. Oh…Tseng was going to give me an earful if Rufus told him that he was forced to wait for me. I gripped Sora's arm to keep him from walking on without me, taking a deep breath as I forced my 'soldier face' into place. "How do I look?"

He studied me for a moment before giving a short nod, "Like Elena Turk…"

Sora didn't approve of me faking my emotions, but he didn't interfere with me being like this. After all, I didn't question his group. We walked onward, Rufus looking up once we entered sophomore hall. "…oh, hello Sora; were you escorting Elena here?"

"You could say that…," Sora grinned as he stopped a few feet away from Rufus, arms folded behind his head. I came to a stop beside the cinnamon haired rebel, arms behind my back as I awaited Rufus' command. He glanced to me, medium blue eyes studying me slowly before looking towards Sora again. "I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but…"

Sora blinked before his eyes grew wide and he gave a nod, smiling in embarrassment now. "I'm sorry! I didn't know she was called here…I thought it was odd you were waiting at her locker. Anyway, I'll see you back in class, Elena."

He waved to me as he turned away, beginning to walk back the way he had come. I watched as he disappeared down the hallway, letting my eyes slowly wander back towards Rufus; only to blink in confusion at finding him studying me again. "You should relax…I'm not as strict as Tseng is, you know. As long as we're by ourselves, you can drop the soldier act."

After a moment of hesitation, I let my shoulders drop in a part slouch and sighed, smiling to him meekly. "Heh…thanks. It's hard to keep that up for long periods of time."

Rufus shrugged softly and smiled to me, though he looked down the hall to where Sora had disappeared. "He looks happier today, doesn't he? I haven't seen him smile like that in weeks…I wonder if he told her…"

"Her…? Told her what?"  
"Hmm? Oh...nothing, nothing. Thinking out loud."

A frown found my face as he waved a hand, like it wasn't of great importance. Something had happened that I wasn't aware of...and if only Rufus new about it, then it must be a big secret. But thinking about it a bit more, it was obvious Rufus wasn't the only one to know about it; Cloud was the leader of the Rebels, the group that Sora devoted himself too. If the junior didn't know about it, then the secret couldn't be a real big deal…

"_Elena_...Elena, are you there? _Woo-hoo_…"

I blinked and blushed as I found Rufus staring at me questioningly. "Oh, I am so sorry; I didn't mean to ignore you, really! It's just…I was thinking and-"

He laughed and shook his head, stopping me in mid-sentence. "Elena, don't worry about it. Rude said you daydreamed a lot…maybe you should start taking it easy? A common sign that you're stressing too much is that your mind starts to wander at random. I'll tell Tseng to leave you alone for a while if you like…"

"Oh, no, I'm fine, really. It's just…I'm a little worried about Sora. Riku was bugging him yesterday, pinned him against the concession stand before the soccer challenge." She didn't bother trying to stop her voice from darkening a tone at the memory of the soccer challenge. Another reason to smack Scarlet in the fact again. "But…it was weird. Sora wasn't fighting back or anything…"

I stopped as I saw Rufus' face, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Never had I seen our leader so awe struck. Especially by just receiving one persons opinion on something that had happened. "Um…Rufus…? Are you alright?"

He blinked and shook his head, a hand rising to his temple. "I'm…I'm sorry. It's just…" Rufus became silent again, staring off the side, face scrunched up as if he were trying to figure out a mathematical equation or make sense of something. After a few minutes of this had passed, I cleared my throat and he looked back towards me.

"Ah…yes, I called you here, didn't I?" He sighed and ran a hand through his strawberry blonde locks, leaning against my locker again as he collected himself into the leader we knew and respected. "I have a…assignment for you. It involves Cloud and his group, or more specifically, him and Sora. I need you to watch them; lately, the jocks seem to have taken a special interest in them and it worries me. So, follow them around whenever you have time, watch over them from afar and the like…"

"…wouldn't Reno and Rude be better at that then I am?" My heart was held in a cold grip. I prayed with all my might that he would remember that my cousins were much better at obeying orders. Especially when it came to spying.

"I thought about that. And though they are better at these out of school assignments then you are, neither Reno nor Rude are as close to the Rebels as you are. Sora seems to particularly like your company and Cloud tolerates you much better because of it."

I let silence pass between us, staring at the ground with a frown as I fought down the need to say I wouldn't do it. When Tseng had asked if I wanted to be in the Suits, I had agreed happily. Even thinking about saying no to Rufus after saying I would follow every order made something inside me want to cry.

As the minutes passed, my eyes closed and I took a deep breath before glancing upwards. Rufus watched me; he had been ever since I questioned about Reno and Rude being better for this job. I opened my mouth hesitantly, having to think about what I wanted to say before it passed from my lips. "Rufus, sir…may I please express my personal feelings on that order?"

He paused. "…go on."

"Rufus, do I have to spy on them? I understand that I agreed to follow _every_ order, every little _thing you say_. But…Sora is one of the only friends I have outside of our group. He's one of the only people who actually knows the real me. Don't get me wrong, I will do it if you don't think Reno and Rude can get close enough without appearing to be spying. It's just…I won't like it."

Rufus didn't say a word to me for a good few minutes. In the back of my mind, I had a feeling the bell would be ringing soon; Mr. Highwind was no doubt snoring loudly again in his chair and Sora was trying to get his homework done or catch some last minute sleep before his next class. At the thought of Sora and what I was being asked to do, I could feel myself beginning to sink into soldier mode, supposedly emotionless and frozen. At the moment, I wish I really was emotionless.

I would always put my loyalty first. I was a Turk; strong and willing to serve our leader, Rufus Shin-Ra, no matter what. But I wouldn't bow like a dog or wilt like a flower…too many others did in this school.

Finally, Rufus ended the silence, pushing away from my locker. "I understand you don't like this Elena…but do you think I'll like this any better? Cloud is my friend and having to spy on him isn't something I want to do. I'm worried about him though and as long as the jocks torment the Rebels, I'll **keep** an eye on them."

He began to walk away, though paused when he was beside me, glancing towards my face. "Besides…Tifa asked me to. That proves _something_ must be wrong if she's willing to spy on Cloud as well."

The click of his boots seemed to echo in the hallway, fading into a school quiet; the one where you could hear the little, far off laugh of others in their classrooms. Of the scribble of pencils on paper and groans as an assignment was given. As I listened to the sounds, my feet moved of their own accord and began to carry me back to the class that awaited my return. Or rather, back to the cousins who weren't as close to the Rebels as I would have hoped. That way, I wouldn't have to do this.

Inside, I felt myself growing numb, an obvious sign that I was unhappy about something. The only times I truly felt like a soldier were during these little bursts of non-caring. As I opened the door to the Study Hall, people looked up towards me before back at the snoring Mr. Highwind. I knew it…the old man never stayed awake for long. I walked past Sora, who glanced up as I passed before going back to his homework, his fingers pressing random buttons on his calculator while his other hand scribbled down the answer a second later.

Tseng, Reno and Rude watched as I seated myself and turned my back on them, eyes forward as I let myself daydream. So what if Tseng disapproved; he'd get lost in his thoughts too if he had to do something he was against…

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_The Rebel Prince_

The clouds above were moving in slow streaks of white and silver, resembling all sorts of animals and…certain body parts that I don't need to name for you to understand. Peeking through the few leaves that still clung to the branches, the bright rays of the sun lay in camouflage like designs across the ground. I had always found it nifty to stare at the ground when only a bit of sunlight could reach it; the grass became all sorts of different colors, depending on the thickness or quantity of leaves above.

My head tilted towards my wrist, watching as the second hand ticked every closer to twelve. I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I stared back up at the sky. "So much for wanting to eat lunch with me…"

During break between third and fourth hour, Cloud had called and asked if I could wait outside for him. I'd asked if his stomach was better, but he'd hung up before the question was formed entirely. Damned stubborn bastard…he'd better be happy he was like a brother to me or I wouldn't be laying out here waiting for him. As I gave a silent pout, I heard the unmistakable purr of an engine, tilting my head back to watch as a car entered the school parking lot. The black vehicle came to a stop near the sidewalk ten feet away from me, the engine shutting off as Cloud exited with his keys. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

As he closed the door, I noticed him limping slowly over to me, fighting the wince that kept trying to show itself. Seeing Cloud like that made me want to beat up Scarlet so frickin' bad…if that bitch hadn't distracted him, I would be free from the Jock's torment and Cloud wouldn't be missing a few days of school on account of him not wanting to look like a freaking pansy. Along with not wanting to hide a wince every step he took down a hallway…I'd hate to see him in school, with a crowded hall if this is how he walked in a wide open space.

I wanted to get up and help him, but even I knew better then that. Cloud was stubborn and proud, meaning I'd be insulting him by asking him. I bit my lip as I watched him walk closer until he was finally beside me, lowering himself down slowly until he was sitting up. He took a deep breath, looking relieved to have made it before smiling down at me. "You look comfy."

"I am, to tell the truth. But surprisingly enough, you would be too if you'd been laying out here for fifteen minutes."

"You've been waiting that long…? Lunch started five minutes ago…"  
"I skipped the rest of English…"  
"Sora…"  
"Oh, don't start."

Cloud gave a sigh and shook his head, a hand running through his hair. He hated it when I skipped class. Ever since he became a junior, he'd been saying that my school work was important and that I should take all this crap seriously. It would be _important_ later on in life. When I asked him why he didn't take school more seriously, he'd said because he never did what he preached. Which made him a hypocrite, but I guess I understood why he cared. We were like brothers, save that whole being blood related nonsense.

We watched the sky in silence, though I found myself beginning to stare at Cloud after a few minutes had passed. He was unusually quiet today. Yeah, don't get me wrong, he's really good at the silent treatment; but that wasn't exactly it. Something was bothering him. It's almost like the tension I'd felt earlier had been lifted and given to him instead. "So…what's on your mind?"

He looked away from the sky, fixing his gaze on me now. "What do you mean?"

I raised an eyebrow, folding my arms behind my head so they acted like a pillow. "Don't play innocent with me; you're way too quiet and you're eyes are doing that flicker thing. So tell me what you wanted to talk to me about."

Cloud frowned at my notice to his eyes, a hand rising to cover them a little, though he disguised it as rubbing his temple. No matter how hard he tried to make people notice something else, his eyes were always the first thing to be seen. I never really understood why he was so uncomfortable with it; whenever his eyes flashed like that, it was really cool. True, it was creepy, but only the first time you see it.

"…will you hate me?"

I blinked at his question, eyes wide as I stared up at him. "Hate you…? Cloud, I could never hate you…"

"Not even if I…betrayed the group?"

That made me hesitate; Cloud…betray the group? Even thinking about him possibly doing that made me shiver. I looked away from him, staring at the sky now. "How would you betray us?"

"By falling in love with…someone we're supposed to hate…"

I could hear him trying to keep talking, as if even saying the words out loud would make me want to distance myself. With a grunt, not really wanting to move from such a comfortable position, I pushed myself until I was sitting up instead of lying down. My back protested and I found out the reason when I pulled a stick out from under my hoodie; how it had gotten under there, I would never know.

"Cloud…it isn't your fault that you fall in love or who you fall in love with. True, it'll probably stir up a little trouble between all the alliances, but as long as you're happy, does it really matter?"

He didn't say anything and I frowned as I thought of what else I could say to him. Suddenly, I remembered something Riku had mentioned earlier and I smirked. Maybe his advice would come in handy after all. "Why don't you be like Romeo and Juliet?"

Cloud turned wide eyes to me and I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the expression he was giving me. By the time I stopped laughing, I was on the ground holding my sides and Cloud was giving me an amused smile. "Sora…Romeo and Juliet die, remember?"

I took a few deep breaths, whipping the tears out of my eyes as I sat up, trying to talk without giggling again. "That's because they were thinking too much about what they did."

That made him pause, Cloud watching me carefully before looking away. "…what do you mean by that?"

"Well…someone told me that thinking about what you were doing made you hesitate and begin to wonder if this was what you really wanted. Thinking about it too much…ends the relationship before it can even begin."

Cloud laughed suddenly and I pouted in his direction, pushing him. "What's so funny?"

He winced at the push, a hand going to his stomach as he tried to stop laughing. Weirdo that he was, laughing when even walking hurt like a bitch. "It's just…you make sense!"

I blinked, trying to figure out what the hell that meant as he fought to stop laughing. And it certainly took quite a few minutes before he even had enough breath to tell me what it was he was implying. "It's just…I was worried about you and everyone else hating me. And I was over thinking it; from what you said, I thought you wanted me and this person to die together…"

I smiled as he laughed again and pushed myself onto my knees, crawling behind him so my arms were wrapped around his shoulders. He tensed for a moment before relaxing into my embrace, glancing back to me. "You're different too…but in a good way."

As he looked forward again, my smile widened and I closed my eyes. "Yeah; let's just say I have more in common with you then you know…"

* * *

**Dark:** Boom, baby! It was a little angsty in the middle with Elena, but I think Cloud and Sora's brotherly love made up for it...hopefully. I'm sort of hoping to use Miss Turk a bit more because she has such a good heart in this fanfiction. Makes me want to hug all her problems away... 

**Sora:** Evil Rufus...

**Dark:** Nah, he's just worried. Responces to some of the reviews from thesecond chapter and the reviews from the third chapter (or 3rd and 4th if you're being technical);

* * *

**kmwsweetness:** I don't like her either. Didn't in FF7 and don't now; does it show?

**The New Shinigami Hikari:** Hey, you were right! You must by psychic, neh?

**DancingMistress:** Holy cow!A new chapter! Time to review now! Wh00t!

**thunder sister: **Oh come on. That way you are all anxious for the next chapter...here it is!

**SappaChi:** Awww! You made me all warm inside with your comment (sniff). Thanks so much!

**Promise:** An update; wh00t!

**Mandeth: **Eh...I'm the same with Kairi. She'll apologize later on, but probably won't appear all that much. Seriously! Freaking Sophomore year is way busier then my Freshmen year...people at Highschool should tell you if their going to pull a 180 and all that goodness. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter! Looking forward to your review when I get over 100!

**Serenity Cathedral a.k.a serena429:** Deep breaths, dear, the update is here. Hope you enjoy!

**KousukeAsazuki:** Aw...there might be people who don't know that! And I would have made him say yes, but it would have clashed with his personality, so I didn't. Hell, I was pushing it up there as it was. You're a senior? Damn, hope you survive your last year. Yeah and I understand about lack of sleep; my sleeping schedule sucks...

**the forgotten shadow:** True, true, they do. And yes, Riku is rather horny XDD

**SoulfulEyes1:** Yeah, I don't see much fantasy. I think you'll like the ending, depending on your taste in guyxguy couples. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Largo-sensei:** I'd like to believe you. But if this _is_ your favorite story, I order you to read **Requiem **(Vash's Girl), **Prep and Punk** (Mandeth) or **I'm Not A Model** (Aika-san). They are AWESOME.

**KittyBlue:** Yes, I feel your pain, you poor fangirl. Thus, the above section, starter of the story. Not terribly enticing, but enough to make you addicted for the...later chapters. (winkwink)(nudgenudge) Anyway, here's your chapter dear.


	6. An Order Given

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy Characters.**

**Dark:** What the freaking crap...

**Sora:** Ha! Sucks to be you, Pajama girl!

**Dark: **(thwaps with stick) Shut the hell up. Anyway, my computer totally fried itself in December. It didn't delete the files on it, but we can't get them off the computer. Luckily, I hadn't even begun to write this chapter, so I wasn't too pissed. But then I realized I couldn't write ANY documents in word. None. So I had to use some crappy ass Word wannabe on Compaq after we got our new computer. And I love the new computer, but...what the freaking crap. It just...grr! Short!

**Riku:** It's what you get for making this chapter so effing angsty.

**Dark:** (throws Sora plushie) Go fetch. Anyway, read and review...short...

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Chapter Five

_An Order Given_

_A Rebel Prince_

I hadn't ever been able to understand why people like to run; it gets you all sweaty and smelly. But whenever I asked Riku about it when we were still kids, he always made it seem like there was more to it then just running down a track. He said running as fast as you could, trying to beat your competition, was an exhilaration that just had you itching to run more. Even if you lost, it made you want to do better. For some reason, I thought back to when he told me that while I watched Riku's track meet.

It wasn't anything fancy or competitive, just Mr. Highwind making Riku and his teammates go through their paces. I wasn't really all that interested when it started; I thought waiting for Riku so we could go to the park would be boring as hell. Little did I know, they would be running in only shorts and running shoes.

Every time my mind wandered, I came back into reality to realize I'd either been staring at some of these guys' gorgeous abs or watching Riku jog on the track. With a sigh, I fell back against the grass, staring at the sky. The blue was quickly beginning to turn a mixture of orange and darker blue; the clouds had turned into thin streams of white grayness, proving we'd most likely have a flawless view of the stars tonight. Not that it mattered. There were way too many lights on in the city for us to see them.

After a few minutes of staring, I closed my eyes and just took in the scents around me. The leaves rustled as a wind swept by, the ones trapped beneath me scratching at the black hoodie I wore; it was a sort of annoying sound. So after a few seconds of this, I cursed and sat up, opening my eyes to find someone's crotch not a few inches from my face. Covered of course, I mean really. My cheeks burned red and I scampered back as fast as I could, glaring up at Riku as he burst out laughing. "Damn Sora…all you had to do was ask me and I would've let you see it."

"You jerk! Why didn't you say anything?"

"And miss you blushing like a maniac when you saw me standing over you? I have to admit, you sitting up like that was much funnier then you laying down and see me."

He chuckled and I looked away, standing. As usual, he infuriated me to no end as well as attracted me. Damn bastard was a jerk and hot; he didn't deserve to have good looks if he was such an asshole. I rubbed my cheeks, trying to think disgusting thoughts so the hideous red blush covering my cheeks would disappear; but of course, I thought of where Riku and I would be going after this and what we might possibly continue, which led to the blush returning full force.

As Riku snickered about my discomfort, I turned and walked down the sidewalk, not waiting for him as he ran to catch up. His hand clapped down on my shoulder, his grin wide as his aqua green eyes gleamed with amusement. "Oh, don't be such a baby, Sora. Besides…" He leaned closer, his warm breath on my cold neck making me shiver. "…you look cute when you blush."

I pushed him slightly away, my hands gripping my sleeves as they rubbed at my cheeks again. He was starting to seriously get to me and not just physically; those comments had my stomach conjuring up magical butterflies that made me want to twirl in giddy happiness. But we were at school and I really didn't need Riku laughing like a drunk man at me.

Silence passed between us as we walked down the sidewalk towards the park, the leaves having been blown in all directions by the wind that blew past, proof that fall was in full swing. My blush had turned into a pink tint, mainly still there because of the cold, my hands in my hoodie pockets. Riku had changes on the way here, something I had managed to avoid watching and just barely.

His torso was covered by a long sleeved black shirt that had our school sports symbol thing on the back and his name on the left corner, with track team just below it in fancy letters. Instead of shorts, he now wore faded blue jeans that made his ass look fucking great, something I had a hard time understanding. Asses' weren't supposed to look absolutely drool worthy, were they? Anyway, his track stuff he'd transferred into the duffel bag at his side.

When we finally arrived at the park, it was deserted of everyone besides one woman who was putting her child back into its stroller, prepared to go home no doubt. Riku jumped over the two piece wooden gate, giving me a grin as he sort of jogged backwards, throwing his duffel bag onto the bench. "Last one to the swings loves old men in thongs."

He started running towards the swing set by the back of the playground, my brain telling me it was a juvenile trick, but my feet not listening. Neither were my hands apparently, as they jerked me over the fence and I took off running after him. Now, it's stupid to assume that I had any chances of beating him, but I had given my all and ended only a few feet behind him when we reached the swings. I gave a pout as I sat down on the second swing, glaring at him. "You had a head start…"

"What's your point? You still would have lost."  
"Maybe, but you don't know that for sure."  
"…how much running experience do you have, Rebel?"  
"Enough, Bandit."

He smirked, idly pushing himself in the swing, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Alright then, we have a bet. First one to make it from here to the slide gets to claim his prize."

I rose an eyebrow. "No head starts or foul tricks?"  
He just smiled. "I won't need any to beat you."

That had me rolling my eyes and I stood after he did, getting into running stance beside him. Before he took off though, I felt his hand slide into my back pocket; he gave my ass a light squeeze before saying go, taking off towards the slide. Naturally, that had me a little befuddled and I ran after him a second later, which was all the time he really needed to hand me my pride in a carrying case.

He grinned, leaning against the plastic surface as I glared at him. "That was cheap!"

"Hey, I didn't use any tricks."  
"You groped me, I call that a trick!"

"No it isn't. It's friendly touching. Now…about my prize." Before I could say anything to him, he slid onto the slides surface and grabbed my hand, pulling me forward. I tripped over the bar that kept the slide off the ground, landing with my hips between his legs and my hands gripping the sides of the slide to keep from totally crushing him. He smirked up at me as I glared down at him, that only too familiar redness creeping onto my face. "That was even cheaper."

"Now, now…Sora, you wouldn't be going back on our bet would you? I did say we get to choose our own prizes."

"No…but-" My words were silenced as I felt his hand sliding into my back pocket, his other hand placing itself on my cheek. He pulled me closer, aqua green eyes getting the gleam that never stopped sending a wave of fearful anticipation into my lower abdomen. When my lips were close enough to his to where I could just feel them brushing against mine, he paused, his hand leaving my cheek to rest on my shoulder. Confusion danced through my mind before I understood that he was letting me decide this time; I began to think against this, but his words from earlier had me pausing. Maybe he was right…if I just stopped thinking so much about everything, I wouldn't be so afraid.

My eyes closed and I let myself fall that little amount until my lips pressed to Riku's.

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_The Social Bandit_

To tell the truth, I was surprised he'd even took my advice. Only a moment ago, I saw the wheels turning inside those beautiful sapphire eyes he had, before they closed and _he_ kissed _me_. I smirked into the kiss, my hand sliding to the back of Sora's head, the chestnut brown hair soft beneath my fingers. One of his partially sleeved covered hands held the side and back of my neck as his other one stayed on my shoulder, gripping my shirt loosely. As I began to deepen the kiss, I snuck a peek at him, opening my eyes halfway.

God, he was gorgeous. I'd love to see him in some clothes that didn't hide his figure; hell, I'd love to him naked, now that all his baby fat had disappeared. Well, almost all. His red cheeks still held some remnants of it, but that only made him look cuter; damn shame Seifer had noticed that little fact as well. It was why he had me bother Sora non-stop. In his own way, it was him showing that he thought Sora had potential. I almost shivered at the thought of what Seifer meant with potential, though a low groan from Sora had me shudder in a different way.

I nipped at his lower lip before sliding my tongue into his mouth; I don't know why, but he always just tasted sweet. Not sickeningly, honey flavored sweet or sugar coated sugar puffs. But in a way that blended with his own juvenile appearance. I tapped the roof of his mouth, the insides of his cheek and rubbed his tongue with my own, Sora soon responding to my treatments enough to where I let him take the reins.

As I slid my free hand into his back pocket, I knew that this could never be made public; not for the fact that we'd stopped being friends a long time ago. But because we would no longer be excepted by just about everyone we knew. Our groups would outcast us and we'd be left as figures in our school who tried to break the circuit, something which no one should do.

After a moment, I forced those thoughts away, suddenly jerking my hips against his so he'd be forced to roll to the side. He gave a squeal and looked up in startled confusion, blinking stupidly as I straddled his hips. "What…?"

"What is all you have to say?"  
"W-well, you startled m-me!"  
"Oh, really Sora. Get with the program…"

He glared at me and I smirked, kissing him again before he could start one of his little bitch fests. Sora cursed, but after a small fight over who would get dominance in this particular kiss, he submitted to me; a thought that brought up images far too indecent to voice, even in this situation. As he relaxed to my advances, I slid my lips away from his, kissing his neck and licking at the jugular vein as it pulsed wildly against his skin. He moaned, a hand going up to cover his mouth with a sleeve.

That had me chuckling, a part of me wanting to remove his hand from his mouth, though I let him be. Sora was just being himself right now; if he was letting me get away with this, I'd give him some comfort at least. My hands slid up his hoodie as I played with his earlobe, nipping the item before moving down once I had the damned object out of the way; why he wore them, I would never know.

As Sora realized his beloved hoodie had been pushed up and out of the way, he squirmed, hands moving so that he could push it down. His fingers were just brushing the fabric before I caught his wrists, pushing his hands down onto the slide. He glared at me and tried to move, though I kept a strong grip as I lowered my face to his chest, slowly licking one of his nipples.

He froze immediately and shivered; I watched as he bit his lip to keep from saying anything, though a moan did escape, despite his intentions. With that, I lowered myself face to his chest again, prepared to utterly ravish him. That would be when I heard voices and ones that would probably have Sora being heavily questioned and me pummeled into a bloody pulp. Sora heard them too and pushed me to the side so I fell onto the mulch covered ground, the brunette quickly following as he fixed his hoodie. We stayed crouched there, watching through the partially see-through material as Reno Turk and Rude Turk strolled by.

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_A Loyal Subject_

Of all people…no, of all rebels that Cloud had serving him, why did he have to be the one to do this? And worst of all, why was I the one given this assignment when the others would have happily given Rufus this information? I covered my eyes, the things I had just seen racing through my mind.

I hadn't actually even meant to see it. The whole thing had been accidental, completely and utterly accidental. After school, I'd gone home and changed from my blue suit into something more comfortable, then went walking around town. It was when I came upon the park that I heard voices and looked around, only to see the two people I thought would never hang out together; Sora Prince and Riku Bandit. I watched in absolute wonder as the jock ran towards the slide, after…groping the rebel? It didn't take much longer to realize what was going on, as Riku laid down on the slide and pulled Sora down on top of him.

Now, there I sat, hiding behind a tree. Sora would be scared to death if he realized I saw him and that…_jock_ together. Which only made me wonder what the _hell_ was going on; Riku was the person that tormented Sora every day, the very top rung of hated enemies for the rebels, which is what Sora was.

I laid my head back against the hard bark of the tree, hands sliding through my hair slowly. This didn't make any sense. An interaction like the one those two were having betrayed the logic of high school; I felt a warmth sliding down my cheeks, only to turn suddenly cold when an autumn wind blew by.

"Elena?"

I jumped at my name, looking with wide eyes up at who had said it, only to panic at who it was. "Reno? Rude? W-what're you going here?"

Rude rose an eyebrow at the question, the two sharing a look before Reno frowned and turned his gaze back to me. "We're taking a walk…why are you sitting here? And crying?"

At that statement, I realized that the hot and cold sensations were tears and I jumped up, looking past the tree towards where Riku and Sora had been. Seeing them in hiding, I gave a sigh; Reno and Rude most likely _hadn't_ seen them. As that thought came to me, I frowned. Why the hell should I care if Riku and Sora's secret was known; because I cared about Sora. That thought came to me, unwanted and unappreciated. After a moment, I looked back to them, smiling. "N-no reason. Just a little cold I guess…"

They both frowned at that and I began walking towards the path backwards, waving a hand towards them. "Yeah, that must be the reason…I'll talk to you two later, okay?"

Before they could say anything, I spun around and took off running as fast as I could. I heard them shouting my name, asking what was wrong, though I didn't bother answering. As I felt tears running down my cheeks again, I cursed Rufus for the first time in my life; of all people, he asked me to spy on Sora…

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_Leader Shin-Ra_

"_I never would have asked Elena to spy on both Sora and Cloud if I knew it was a serious affair between them and the jocks; sometimes I wonder though. Who do I love more? Those in my group or those wishing to ruin their lives?"_

I sighed, watching the light turn red, gently pressing down onto the brake. As I rolled to a stop just a bit past the line, I leaned back against the black leather seat, staring at the cars that drove past. Today had been, if anything, stressful; though the fact I had three tests added to that stress, it wasn't where it had originated from. Most of it came from trying to figure out which one of the Turks would be best suited for the task I had for them. It hadn't even been my original plan; Tifa had wanted me to watch Cloud. The only reason Sora had been added to the list was because of what Elena had said; Riku pressing him against the concession stand and Sora doing nothing to push him away.

The light turned green and I let off the brake and drove forward; not a moment later and the cell phone in my cup holder sprung to life. With a small raise of the eyebrow, I fixed my eyes on the road, one hand leaving the wheel to retrieve the small black portable. Checking the caller, I frowned. Tseng very rarely called me, usually only if there was no other choice or if it was something urgent. I flipped the item open, pulling to a stop on the side of the road; no need to have people cursing my name out of school for talking on the cell phone while driving.

"What is it?"  
"Rufus, have you seen Elena?"

A small jolt of worry went through me, but I stifled it. "No…why?"

"Reno just called me and said Rude and him found her at the park."  
"And this is bad, because…?"  
"That's not what was bad; she was hiding behind a tree and…well…"  
"Tseng, quit stalling."  
"Reno said she was…crying."

I didn't miss the note of worry in Tseng's voice; he might have been a little strict with her most of the time, but he loved her. From what I had heard about the Turk cousins, they had grown up together and usually went over each other's houses when children, playing games like cops and robbers. At the thought of Tseng being chased by Reno, Rude and Elena, I smirked, but it quickly vanished. Alright, back to the situation at hand.

"Do you want me to help find her?"  
"If it wouldn't trouble you. When Elena's upset, she doesn't think clearly…"

I gave a small nod, not that he would see it. "I understand; if I find her, I'll text you and if you find her, vice versa."

"Okay. And Rufus…thanks."

I hung up, knowing he wouldn't want to hear anything in reply to that. Tseng wasn't very good when it came to expressing his emotions and hearing him say thanks was enough to know he was worried about her. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, I pressed down on the accelerator, the car shooting forward. Now, one should never do this when actually driving, so don't follow my example.

Most of the streets I passed only had groups of kids on it or the occasional jogger; Elena would most likely steer clear of people she didn't know when on the streets, especially when upset, so it was obvious she hadn't entered town. Starting off towards the park, I frowned lightly as I wondered what she could have been upset about. I froze for a moment as I thought back to earlier this morning, eyes widening; did she see something?

Hands tightening on the wheel, I drove past the park, seeing Reno and Rude walking down the pathway on the far side. Even from the road, out of the park boundaries, I could see they were worried. Rude had taken his sunglasses off even; now that was something I wish I had been there to see. As I passed the park and turned into the subdivision, my eyes caught a figure walking down the sidewalk.

Even from behind, I knew who it was; the way Elena carried herself was just drastically different from anyone else I knew. She walked in a perfectly straight line, the white skirt she had changed into shifting a little past her knees. Her hands were held behind her and what looked like a guys yellow dress shirt over her sky blue tank top. The only thing that was different from her relaxed pose was the fact her shoulders were slowly shaking and for the first time that I'd known her, she was staring downwards.

I parked in the grass between two other cars about ten feet in front of her, a slight wave of anger rushing through me. It took a lot not to slam the car door, slipping my phone into my pockets as I stepped onto the side walk in front of her. She stopped a few feet away, still staring at our feet as I gave an exasperated sigh. "Where the _hell_ did you think you were going? Tseng, Reno and Rude are worried as hell about you! They even called Tseng so he could call me to help find you."

She didn't say anything and I ran a hand through my hair, staring down at her. "Alright, you obviously must have saw something that made you react this way. Who was it? Cloud or Sora?"

As soon as those words left my mouth, I realized how big a mistake it was to say that. For right when I said Sora, she abruptly fell to her knee's, hands clutching her knees. I stared in wide eyed wonder; now, what the _hell_ was this about? I frowned a little, more in worry then in irritation, slowly kneeling in front of her. "Elena…what…what's wrong…?"

"Please…"  
"What?"  
"Please…please don't make me tell you…"

I just stared at her for a moment. But after that small time passed, I lightly gripped her shoulders, pulling her forward and wrapping my arms around her. Her hands gripped the fabric of my shirt as she fought to keep from sobbing, shoulders shaking as I patted her back lightly. I would have never asked Elena to do this, had I thought this affair between the rebels and the jocks to be serious. _Then why'd you ask her to spy on them_, a small voice in my head replied.

I suddenly wondered; who did I care for more? Those in my group or those willing to ruin their lives by loving people who didn't belong in our world?

"I'm sorry Elena…I'm so sorry."

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_An Independent Leader_

"What's the answer to number three?"  
"Um…I think its 12xy."  
"…_what_?"

I only half listened to what Tifa and Yuffie were currently muttering. After school, I had been dragged to Tifa's house. So far, all I had been part of was a scheme that involved copying each others answers and trying to figure out why I was even here. A hand ran through my hair as I watched the, raising an eyebrow as Yuffie murmured a few choice words, rubbing out the answer for number three.

Yuffie was one of the higher up's in Tifa's group; short, cute and having fallen off the saddle to her sanity long ago, she was usually the life of the party. Her brown hair was cut short, even more so then Elena's was. A green head band was around her forehead, tied neatly at the back of her head and she usually carried around ninja weapons. No, they weren't actually real; most of the time she ended up bringing plastic ones. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt when they were thrown at you.

"Hey Cloud, how about you help us with the answers?"  
"Hey Tifa, how about you do your own work?"  
"Oh…come on, pwetty pwease?"

I turned away from her puppy dog eyes, refusing to be sucked in by them. Unfortunately, she followed the direction I turned and after just a few minutes of pouting, I had whipped out my answers and given it to them. Rumor was, I sucked at math; truth was, I could give our math teacher a run for his money. As they copied my homework, I sighed and leaned back on Tifa's bed, just staring at the ceiling.

It always made me wonder when I was watching her room in idle boredom, who she would end up with one day. Tifa usually joked that I'd be the only one for her; we both knew it wouldn't ever happen that way though. I snuck a glance at her as she giggled about something with Yuffie. The fact she wouldn't move on hurt me at times; not because she wouldn't respect my decision, but because I couldn't return her feelings. I blinked as I found her beautiful brown eyes staring into mine, Tifa tilting her head lightly. "Something wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh no, nothing. Just thinking about something…"

She stared at me for a moment, though shrugged it off, glancing towards Yuffie as she stood. "Hey, I'll be right back. All this thinking has me wanting some munchies; first cabinet on the left, right?"

Tifa gave a small nod, having gone back to looking from my paper to her own paper, scribbling down answers. Yuffie walked out of the room, partially closing the door behind her. Staring after her, I sighed and folded my arms under my head, my gaze shifting towards Tifa as she put down her pencil and lightly slid the books sprawled out on her bed to the side. Slowly, she moved towards me, curling up against my side with a sigh.

"Tifa…"  
"I know…that you don't feel anything for me."

A pause before her head lightly rested on my shoulder, her arm hugging my neck loosely. "But I just want to be here for right now…even if it's only for a moment."

I glanced down at her; her eyes were closed, a small smile on her face. She was the only woman I'd ever let get this close to me. Even though I had dated Aeris at one time, I wouldn't ever let her cuddle against my side, especially now. As a peaceful silence settled between us, I slid my arms out from behind my head and wrapped them around Tifa, her eyes opening to stare at me. I tried to find the right words, though she just gave me a smile and shook her head. "You don't need to say anything Cloud…I know."

"…I'm not trying to say I'm sorry."

She tilted her head, sliding onto her stomach and staring down at me, my hand caressing her cheek. "You know…if things were different, if I felt that way about woman…you'd be the only one I'd ever love. Even if you weren't straight…I'd love you."

Tifa just stared at me for a moment before she smiled, hugging me. "I know Cloud…but thanks for saying it anyway."

Just outside the door, I heard a giggle, one that Tifa missed; I smiled as Yuffie quietly walked back towards the kitchen, leaving us to our peaceful agreement. She might have been a bit off her rocker, but even Yuffie knew how rare we had these moments. I stroked Tifa's back silently as I stared at the ceiling and prayed to whoever was listening that Tifa would be as willing to forgive me as Sora would be…

* * *

**Dark:** ...short...

**Sora:** Stop moping about it!

**Dark:** Yeah, yeah. Anyway, on to YOUR REVIEWS!

* * *

**Yuki Kimagure:** Aww! Thank you! I was just really curious as to see how it would be to interact using Elena or Rufus or such. I actually really liked Elena from the game and how much Rude and Reno cared for her, so I wanted to use her more then just a non-important character. And you know what I just realized...you're one of my favorite authors. Holy crap...dude, I feel so cool right now. Anyway, thank you for the review! Hope you like this chapter.

**Mandeth: **You love me? Aw, no one will bring me down from this feeling of awesome sweet-ness! No, Elena is just too loyal to her cousins and Rufus to just up and leave them for the Rebels. Besides, Cloud's group is about to have a serious inner breaking, as if it isn't already obvious. Ha, yeah, it happens. Riku is more inciteful then he'll actually let on and Sora can retain information pretty good...like a sponge. Lol - anyway, thanks for the review!

**Serenity Cathedral:** You know, you're name is long, so I'm just going to use the first part. Thank goodness, I don't want to loose my small fan base. Hope you like the chapter and thanks for the review!

**Rampaging Sorrow:** ...um...thanks?

**DancingMistress:** Yay, new update! Time to read and make a review! wh00t!

**Largo-Sensei:** Ha, guys like Rufus are out there, just not commonly seen. And seriously, you've read **I'm Not A Model**? Honey, that story is absolutely BEAUtiful. But I'll let it slide; anyway, I know how you feel about that. I sort of got inspired about the groups by the clique conflicts at my school. I'm part of the freaks, punks, emo's and stoner group. Go figure, eh? Hope you like this chapter!

**Katt:** Wow, someone else likes that? I actually didn't think people would love the idea, but I'm happy it works. Thanks for the review, hope you like this chapter!

**Adonis:** wh00t, update!


	7. Shattered Truth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any characters from the Final Fantasy series**

**Dark:** Ugh...I hate school.

**Sora:** You're not going to blame school for your long recess, are you?

**Dark:** Oh, of course not. Sorry for the almost _four month_ absence, but I've been busy. Had to write a research paper, which I still have to redo, because apparently I have to be friggin' _perfect_ at this public, ugly, broken down school. What does she mean I'm missing three sources? I have freakin' nine, last time I checked, all I needed was six. Bitch.

**Sora:** Get over it, you have until Friday to redo whatever you fucked up on.

**Dark:** Yeah, yeah, shut the hell up. Anyway, sorry folks, please Read and Review.

* * *

Chapter Six

_Shattered Truth_

_A Loyal Subject_

I'm…not quite sure what made me snap to my senses. All I remembered was taking off after Reno and Rude had seen me, ignoring how blurry everything had become as I ran. I'd only slowed down when I was a good distance away, holding back the sobs that threatened to come up. Naturally, he'd find me at my worst moment; then ask me the question that made me completely break down crying. The distant scent that was his cologne and just the comforting voice he had made me realize where I was; though, I'm not quite sure if that's what really made me remember what was going on.

Once my crying had slowed, I jerked in realization, one that Rufus obviously felt through his arms. When I tried to move away, his grip around me tightened. Anyone else would have said he was holding me in his embrace, where I knew he was just making sure I wouldn't run off again. Slowly, he lowered his arms, but kept a hand on my shoulder. My fingers uncurled from his shirt, sliding down to rest in my lap. Silence was shared, an uncomfortable one for me. Crying in front of my family was one thing; Rufus, my leader, was another.

"Elena…," his voice surprised me, causing me to look up at him quickly. Though it still held that soothing tone, there was an underlying question. I just watched him before taking a deep breath, beginning to stand. He got to his feet first, letting his hand fall from my shoulder.

"Can…we talk somewhere else?"  
"It was Sora, wasn't it…"

I froze, having already turned towards his car. My eyes remained on the black windows and I could see the brilliant blue perfectly, Rufus just a little behind me with that look on his face that made it clear I couldn't lie to him. With a sigh, I faced him; my mouth opened, but nothing came out. It was like my heart wouldn't let me say it to him, even though my mind knew I had to. I sniffed and rubbed my nose with my sleeve, looking at the ground as I spoke. "Rufus…can…," I hesitated, swallowing past the lump in my throat, "…I please tell you some other time?"

Part of me was half-afraid to hear what he'd say. From what I knew, we hadn't ever disobeyed him. Not even when we were younger. I got a shock when he patted a hand on my shoulder, walking around to the drivers seat of his car. "Jump in. I'll give you a ride back home."

"Um…okay…" I watched him in dumbfounded wonder, though ran towards the car as the engine roared to life, slipping into the passenger seat. As I pulled the seat belt on, a part of me realized I would still have to tell him. All I'd done was prolong the fact I would need to. The thought made a vice grip my heart, but I ignored the feeling, watching as the scenery flashed by. When the time came, I'd just have to deal with it. How could I be useful to Rufus if…something caught my eye as we sped around the corner and I frowned. That had looked like…

"Hey…did Reno and Rude stay after school?"  
"Hmm? Oh yeah. They said the two never showed up."  
"…pull over."  
"What?"  
"Pull over!"

He jerked over to the side and I shot out of the car, barely managing to get the seat belt off in time. I'd never be able to mistake Tifa's beautiful hair or Scarlet's disgusting way of dressing. Distantly, I heard the car give a chirp as Rufus locked it, but I was all for making it in time. True, I'd get a lecture later, but helping out when my friends were being ripped off of a fair fight was more important.

"Elena! Where are you going?"  
"Call Cloud…and the Neutrals!"

That got his attention. I rounded the corner and paused for only a moment before taking off again. Tifa was thrown on the ground as Scarlet grabbed her hair and yanked hard, the brunette having been the target to a dirty trick. Go figure; only the leader of those whores would play that foul. From the way Tifa was cursing, she probably had dirt in her eyes. A few of the other Sluts were gathered around, each giggling happily. One of the girls shouted though as I ran towards them, the one nearest me turning too late.

My fist connected with her jaw, the girl, probably a Freshmen, screaming as she was thrown back into one of her friends. Someone smacked me across the face and I grabbed their wrist, yanking them to the ground. A swift kick to the side and they cried out, curling into a ball in the hope of not getting hit again. Scarlet had looked up from where she stood over Tifa, glaring at me now. "This is a fight between Tifa and I, not you and my followers."

"Fuck off, bitch. You play dirty and we'll play dirty."  
"She didn't say anything about this being a fair fight."

"Typical of a slut. You're a dirty whore, so you fight like one." That comment obviously pissed her off, just a little. She stepped over Tifa, who was starting to get to her feet and made her way towards me. Her hand flew out, slapping me across the face and I punched her as hard as I could in the stomach, hearing her gasp and hunch over. Her hair was gripped suddenly by Tifa, the girl looking as mad as I'd ever seen her. She brought Scarlet back to her feet before kicking her across the face, the leader of the Sluts crumpling; if she had valued her beauty before, it was a damn shame it was ruined.

My hand went to my cheek and as I felt moisture at the corner of my lips with my thumb, I pulled the limb away; the tip of my thumb was crimson. That earned a frown from me, not that I could really comment on the split lip. Tifa hugged me suddenly, my eyes wide as I stared at her back and the building a few yards away. "Oh, Elena! You did awesome! Thanks for the help, babe."

She stepped away, smiling at me brightly. I blushed and looked away, shrugging. "It was nothing. My boss was giving me a ride home and I saw you fall down when Scarlet threw some dirt in your face. Only fair, right?"

"Boss?" Tifa looked past me to where Rufus was making his way over, slipping his cell phone into his pocket. "Oh, you mean Rufus…"

"Tifa, hope we arrived in time?"  
"We? What _we_?"  
"Well, I did drive her."  
"Alright, I suppose I give you some credit."

I smiled as I watched them, though frowned as I saw one of the girls I'd knocked down getting up, making a move towards Rufus. With a curse, I shoved him out of the way. Tifa had moved only a few seconds after I had, but it still counted. Though Tifa smashed her fist into the girls cheek, she still managed to swing whatever she'd picked off the floor; I felt glass shatter on the back of my head and Rufus calling my name before everything faded to nothing.

_-------------------------------------------------_

_The Shin-Ra Leader_

Elena, always someone who had an underlying power to her steps, a girl who never faced downward. Always looking ahead and not bothering to linger on the past unless it was to recall beloved memories. The little girl who had always tagged along with me and her cousins, almost biting Reno's arm off when he said girls should be inside, playing with dolls. A girl who…_crumpled_ under the green glass that showered down from the back of her skull.

Without thinking, I swept down, my arm acting as support behind her shoulders to keep her from landing on the now glass covered gravel. "Elena?"

No response. I wasn't really expecting one, but I had to at least try before I gave up hope on her being conscious. With a shaking hand that I couldn't explain or maybe didn't want to, I tilted her head gently to the side, sliding my fingers lightly along the back of her head. When I felt nothing but her scalp and the soft blonde hair, I let a sigh leave me; at the very least, the bottle hadn't cut her when it shattered.

"Rufus…? Is she alright?"

I looked up, Tifa staring at me with worried eyes. Behind her, Scarlet was staring at Elena with wide eyes, just beginning to stand up. Slowly, I stood, my other arm sliding under her knees to carry her. "Scarlet."

The woman didn't turn her gaze from me, just staring at Elena. For the first time since I met her in middle school, I saw fear deep in her blue eyes. She knew that the Suits would be calling war. Damn right we would. "_Scarlet._"

Finally, she tore her gaze away from the girl in my arms, looking to me slowly. Satisfied I had her attention, I felt my eyes narrow in a glare, turning partially. "I do hope you realize that you're group just tried to lethally assault me."

"Rufus…" Her voice shook, forcing her to stop. She took a deep breath before standing, the girls that were in her group lingering back like cowering dogs; Scarlet tried again, though whatever she had to say wouldn't change my mind. "Rufus, please. Take it out on the girl who attempted to hurt you, but not on all of us."

"Why, Scarlet. Don't you remember the code of a group leader? What one member of the group does, everyone in the group does. See you at school." I began to walk back towards my car, Tifa jogging at first until she stood beside me, letting her eyes drift from where we were walking to Elena every so often. "Should I call the others?"

I hesitated before answering her. "Yeah. Call them. And can I put Elena in your car and have you follow me to my house? We'll meet up there."

"Sure. But wouldn't you want to take her?"  
"I…have to call Tseng and them…so…"  
"Oh. I understand. Don't want me to hear…_that_."

"Exactly. Tseng wouldn't be able to face you if you heard him show emotion." Tifa gave a light laugh, though I think it was more of a sob trying to be hidden. I didn't mention it. If she was overlooking my suddenly protective attitude towards Elena and her cousins, I wouldn't bring up that she was almost about to cry from seeing Elena down for the count.

Without another word, we walked towards Tifa's car, approximately a block away from mine. I slowly slid Elena into the passengers seat, watching her for a moment. In actuality, she appeared to be just sleeping. Her face was partially facing away from me, looking almost peaceful. It'd be a much better image if I hadn't seen her get smashed over the head. Closing the door softly, I gave a nod to Tifa, who climbed in the driver seat. I walked over towards her window, leaning against the top of the door. "You mind driving ahead?"

"Not at all. I remember where you live. Don't worry, I'll take care of Elena."

I shared with her one of my more rare smiles, patting the hood of the car before stepping back, watching as she drove off. With a sigh, I turned away, beginning the walk towards my car. Over and over, I repeated what I was going to tell Tseng. The second in command was actually a lot more worried over the members of his family then he let on; especially Elena, his youngest cousin. Just as I went over my words a fifth time, I looked at my reflection in the car door window and every thought I had stopped. Behind me, walking on the sidewalk across the street, was Sora Bandit. With Riku Prince.

Slowly, as if time had almost stopped, I turned to stare towards them. Neither noticed me, Sora blushing about something while Riku laughed happily. That's not what got my attention; the rebels hand was being lightly grasped by the jock's hand, Sora not seeming to struggle to remove it. Which would have been very easy. I could tell that even from where I stood. My mouth opened to shout something towards Sora, but I couldn't even gasp at what I was seeing.

So I closed my mouth and watched them round the corner, hands loose at my sides. Whatever had kept me from saying something plucked at my heart strings, a slight confusion taking me over. "Why would…of all people…and with _him_?"

"With who?"

I swung around, having been so locked up in my thoughts that I didn't notice Cloud pull up behind me until he had already parked his car. For a moment, I just stared blankly at him before shaking my head, clearing my throat. "Cloud…has Sora been seeing anyone? Like…well, anyone…_special_?"

He frowned lightly, his blue eyes glowing as he grew confused. "Um…no. Not that I know of. Why…?"

His confusion was quickly growing into suspicion. I knew that because his eyes were beginning to glow more so then usual. Which reminded me of the predicament he'd trusted to tell me at one point, but I'd ask him about that later; after all, it had been a few days since I had last asked him about Leon.

"It's just…never mind. I'll tell you some other time. Oh." It came to me now why he was even here. When Elena had told me to call Cloud, I had. Though I had been about to call the Neutrals, the fight had stabilized. "Tifa's alright. Scarlet was…distracted."

There was silence as Cloud studied me, though I didn't give him time to notice that I was worried. I turned away, ignoring whatever else he had to say. "Anyway, drive on to my house. Tifa drove Elena there. She was hurt."

"Elena was hurt? How bad?"  
"She's unconscious. I need to call Tseng."

I stared at my reflection in the car door, a hand reaching into my pocket to retrieve my car keys. Cloud continued to watch me, the glow of his eyes apparent in the evening sky. "…Rufus, I…think I've decided what I'm going to do."

That…well, it surprised me, for one thing. I blinked and turned to look at him. He cleared his throat, being the one to turn away now. "With…Leon. I…well…"

"…you what?"

"…I think I'm going to try it. Even if it doesn't work. There's no way I'm going to pass up a good thing, even if it turns out to be bad later on. For now it's good."

I smiled, leaning on the car door now. "So…what made you reach this revelation?"

"Sora did. I asked him earlier today if he…well, if he would hate me. And he said that I shouldn't think on something like that…thinking about it will make me hesitate. Though…," he paused, frowning lightly as he looked towards me, "He said something weird. That he…had more in common with me then I knew."

That earned a silent, utterly surprised, if not blank, stare from me. My eyes swung from where I stared at Cloud to where Riku and Sora had disappeared around the corner. Suddenly, I laughed, the sound surprising even me. The poor spiky headed blonde looked like I had sprouted a second head. "Oh…wow. Cloud, he most definitely has more in common with you then even you might realize."

He looked confused again, though I waved my hand. "Look, don't worry about it. I need to call Tseng. Drive onto my house…or do you want to deal with that other business first?"

"…I'm going to deal with Leon first…"  
"Alright. See you later then."

I gave him a smile and slid into the car, closing the door behind me. After a moment, Cloud drove past, giving a light wave before taking off towards Leon's house. A hand ran through my hair and I sighed as I opened my phone, hitting the speed dial for Tseng's cell. "This day…has been so very dramatic."

_-------------------------------------------------_

_An Independent Leader_

"I think Elena getting hurt might've knocked a few screws loose from Rufus' head. He was laughing…I haven't seen him laugh in…well, hell. Years maybe?"

Alright, so I was talking to myself. Proof that I wasn't all there myself. But Rufus laughing was one thing I probably wouldn't forget about; I wonder if he's ticklish…

I pushed the thoughts on Rufus out of my head, sighing as I parked on the street in front of Leon's house. Truthfully, I had started feeling increasingly worse on the drive over here. Not like, sick worse, just anxiety. Something was gripping my heart, partially hoping he'd say yes while my brain was screaming for me to move on. I knew I had a job to the others in my group, but if Sora could forgive me, the others could as well. Or so I was telling myself. Tifa I knew would never hold this against me; ever since that day of the accident, she's noticed I'd been trying to distance myself from him. She knew me all too well sometimes.

Before I stepped out of the car, I made sure Leon was the only one here; his Mustang was in the drive way, alone in all it's partially beat up glory. Locking the car with a click on the button, I stepped past it towards the door that led into his light blue house. Despite the jokes around my group and the other 'lower' groups, most of the Jocks have fairly nice homes; Leon was one of these Jocks. Two stories with a wrap around porch, two swinging chairs on either side of the door, in front of large windows. From outside, I saw the sky blue curtains swaying in a gentle breeze, the window, I came to realize as I stepped closer, being open.

As I stood at his door, I thought of millions of excuses to turn around right now and forget this. My feet wouldn't budge, but neither would my hand, hovering over the wooden doorway. I felt the thumping of my heart growing louder in my ears, but as the door in front of my swung inward, I realized it wasn't my heart. It was Leon's footsteps. He'd apparently known I was there too, because he leaned against the door frame, the door held open with a foot. His cool, stormy gaze peered into my ever glowing ones, though I had to look away first. "Uh…h-hey…"

"Hello." His voice was just as cool as his eyes, making me want to curse him for being so damned calm. I looked back to him, letting my gaze look him up and down. Though I did try to make it look like I was sizing him up, I really just wanted a peek at what he was wearing. Grey sweat pants and a white sleeveless shirt, his feet bare, as were his arms. And _pop_ went one of the restraints keeping my feet still. I let myself readjust my footing, raising an eyebrow now as I returned the cool gaze. "Well? Can I come in?"

He slid to the side so he stood against the door frame, meaning I'd either have to push him aside or shimmy my way past him. Guess which I chose? With an annoyed sigh that was very forced, I slid past him, a hand going to his shoulder so I could move without having to stumble. Yes, I did have a little mental parade at the feel of his bicep, but that I kept to myself. My face remained neutral, though my eyes were probably shimmering. Hell, that always happened when I was near someone who made me weak in the knees when I thought back to when they'd pinned me up against the wall.

His eyes stayed on me the entire time as I moved past him, only barely glancing towards the door to swing it closed. He leaned against the wooden object, me standing a good few feet away, returning his stare. Silence passed between us, one that I chose to inspect my new surroundings. In a light blue vase in the corner, white tulips grew undisturbed, making the room seem serene; peaceful even against the harsh tones of the sponged aqua marine paint. "Nice place…"

"Thank you. Now why'd you come over, Cloud?"

Naturally, he'd get right down to business. I didn't answer immediately, trying to go over what I'd been planning on saying. Now that I was actually here, I was at a lose for words. With a sigh that proved I was truly lost at this point, I decided to just wing it. Maybe it would be better if it came from the moment? Doubtful, but it worked in those horrid romance movies. "Look, about last night…when you came to see me. I wanted to tell you -"

"You don't have to tell anyone about it."

"Tell you that…wait what?" My eyes opened wide as I stared at him. Leon wasn't looking at me, instead having turned to stare at the vase across the room with the white tulips. I suddenly wondered; was Leon a dog to Seifer? He'd purposely sought me out, not caring what his leader would think. That didn't have any qualities of the dog. In a way, he belonged more to my group then Seifer's.

"If…you choose me, I won't make it public. Unless you'd want to. I understand that a lot of people look up to you and if you're enemies found out you were seeing a jock, they might harass you. So…you don't have to tell. We could be…discreet." He finally turned to look to me, looking a little unsure. Obviously this was quite a speech he was spewing; one that I wasn't sure I was hearing correctly.

I smiled then, a hand running through my hair, drawing the spikes out of my face. "You know, I'd actually come over here to you that I did choose you. But…keeping it a secret would help us both out."

He remained silent for quite a few minutes; from shock maybe, but I couldn't be sure. Then he closed the distance between us, my back meeting the wall for the second time in two days. For a moment, all we did was stare at each other from a few inches away, though Leon rose an eyebrow curiously. My hand reached up to slide up his shoulder, to the back of his head. Slowly, I pushed his lips down to mine, eyes closing as the sweet press took my breath away.

His hands slid down my shoulders, skimming along my sides in such a slow pace that I squirmed. No, I wasn't ticklish, but even the non-ticklish would get jumpy when someone was being so slow. Especially when they were beginning to grow in an obvious state of arousal. With a small nip to my lower lip, I gasped, opening my mouth for him. His tongue slid into my mouth, not invited, but not entirely unwanted either, mind you.

I jerked in his grasp when he slid a hand back up, thumb brushing over my nipple and a breathless laugh, the mere passing of air with a sound, left him. That earned a frown from me and I walked forward, my foot going behind his to make sure he lost his balance. He cursed, the only thing keeping him from falling painfully being my hold on his hands. Which was no small effort. The arms in my muscles were very shown as I managed to control his weight, but just barely.

With deliberate pause, I lowered him onto the floor, lowering myself onto him so I straddled his hips. He pushed up onto his elbows, a slight smirk having formed on his lips. "Since when did you get so dominant?"

"Eh…since I stopped second-guessing myself." Which actually wasn't true. Even now, my brain was screaming at me. Why was I doing this? Alright, I was rebellious, but to rebel against my own group? _What the hell was I thinking_? Which was just the thing; I wasn't thinking. Though I had a feeling that Sora had acquired his wisdom from someone else, he'd still given it to me. So I couldn't entirely throw them away. After all, if Sora was trying to follow them, shouldn't I?

"Ah…so, you're still having doubts about this?"  
"Partially. But now even to make me want to stop."  
"I see. Do you have anywhere to go today?  
"…a little later on. One of the sluts went too far in a fight…"

He frowned, though I didn't want to talk at the moment. I knew that I couldn't just blow off Rufus, especially when he was so worried about Elena. He tried so hard to hide the fact he was worried, I couldn't tell him he was failing miserably at looking calm and collected. I pressed my lips to Leon's, hands balanced on either side of him. Slowly, he lowered himself back onto the carpeted floor, hands sliding along my sides again, though they didn't stop at my hips this time. His hands just barely stopped at my lower waist, his finger tops just barely brushing my ass.

My hands transported the weight to my elbows, hands gripping his hair as we deepened the kiss. His hands had started to slide up my back, shirt being pulled up by his arms. Compared to him, I must've felt cold. Against my back, his hands were like fire, something that was quickly beginning to effect me. The shirt that I had been wearing ended up pooled next to us, my hands beginning to pull at Leon's as well before he hip-thrusted me to the side.

I yelped at the feeling; one, because he was aroused and two, he fucking _hip-thrusted_ me off him. Not a 'hello, will you please move?', but a 'bitch, get off' movement. And what's more, when I tried to sit up, he pushed me back down onto the carpet. I glared at him, but he put a finger over his lips, wiggling a figure for me to follow him. With a blank stare as his answer, he rolled his eyes, doing a crouch walk across the floor. With a sigh, I followed and once I was behind the couch, I understood his wanted to relocate.

"Squall? Oh, yoo-hoo." Scarlet's voice? Why the hell would she be coming to Leon's house?

I threw him a questioning look and he shook his head, just listening. Silence was met before the doorbell was rang. "Squall, I see your car here! Who else is here with you?" Still no answer from him, not that I could blame him. "Fine, play your game. I will catch you when you aren't expecting it."

The click of her heels faded away, the sound of an engine being heard before Leon sighed loudly, shaking his head. "The woman can't leave me in peace…"

"Why was…Scarlet at your house?"  
"It's a dare between her and Seifer."  
"…oh, that's gross."  
"You have no idea…"

I stood and stretched, a pop being heard from my back. Leon looked up from where he sat on the floor, raising an eyebrow up to me curiously. "What, you leaving?"

When he asked, I hesitated; surely, the others would have assembled by now. "…I think I might have too. To check on Elena…"

"Elena…wait. Elena Turk was the one who got hurt?"  
"How the hell do you know that? You weren't there."  
"Scarlet told Seifer and he called me."  
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"  
"…you _stopped me_ from saying anything."

Oh yeah, so I had. If things were already getting spread, then that meant the war had gotten under way. A sigh left me and I seated myself next to him again. "Well, crap. Guess we won't be seeing much of each other."

"Actually, I'm not involved."

I looked to him with a frown. "Not involved?"

"No…" The way he said that, it was obvious there was more to this then he was letting on. I leaned over, my frown deepening. "Leon…why are you not involved?"

There was silence before he glanced to me, looking unhappy. "Seifer said he…was going to get a condition from Rufus so that it's only between them and the Suits. Or, if he meets the condition well enough, there is no problem. The sluts will agree to whatever punishment is given them."

"He must've really twisted Scarlet's arm if she agreed to that…"

"Oh, you have no idea…"

"But…what's the condition?" He didn't say anything, but that just made it more apparent they weren't good. I raised a hand and titled his head to face me, a frown on my face. "Leon, what's the condition?"

"…a member of each group will have to…well," he frowned, struggling for the right word. "…a member from the Rebels, the Suits and the Neutrals will have to work for the jocks for an undecided amount of time. And it has to be equal to the main four in the Jocks."

Something inside froze as I realized what he was saying. "…he chose Sora as one of them, didn't he?"

Leon nodded slowly. "He chose Sora, Elena, Tifa and…well, you."

* * *

**Dark:** (gasp) Oh, whatever will happen? 

**Sora:** You're a non-talent hack. What the hell?My POVwasn't in there once! I'm one of the _main_ main characters.

**Dark:** You and Riku took up almost all of the last chapter, I can switch from time to time. So shut up before I get Seifer molestar you. (giggle)

**Sora:** ...why does that amuse you?

**Dark:** It means 'to bother' in Spanish. Molestar. You know, like Molester? Like, how it...you know what, nevermind, you have no funny bones. Anyway, onto your reviews.

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**Serenity Cathedral:** Yay! I feel happy, even if I loose my fan base. Which I might've considered I made them wait four months almost. Anyway, here's you update! 

**KittyBlue:** If you felt sorry in the last chapter, you'll be bawling if you read this one. Ha - Riku being a perv. is what makes him so popular. Leon and Cloud will probably take a bit longer to adapt to a relationship though. Their both a seme, technically - XD

**Promise:** ...an update!

**Largo-sensei:** Score! I got cookies and fluffy bunnies! I tried the stuff Freshmen year. Was fun, but twice was enough for me. Almost got in trouble, so I drew the line at any more 'giggly time'.

**Mandeth:** ...you're gonna make me cry, sweetheart. Holy crap, that pokes at emotional heart strings. Anyway, thank you! It's sort of getting hard to keep producing them, with so much crap going on right not. When it comes to Tifa and Cloud, their relationship just seems so pure. Even in the game, Final Fantasy 7 and in Advent Children, it was just uncomplicated. She wanted to be there for him and doesn't care if he won't return her feelings. Makes me happy seeing those two as friends, if nothing more. Hope this chapter isn't too angsty...

**darkangel36:** heh - yep, crazy. Hope you like this chapter!


	8. I'd Better Be Praised

**Disclaimer: I do not any of the characters from Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy.**

**Dark:** I worked through the night to deliver you this chapter. Be happy.

**Sora:** Work? You were rping smut all through the night.

**Dark:** You're opinion isn't needed. Anyway, OMG, an update? And so soon! Yeah, I got inspirational. Didn't take four monthes, enjoy the fasterness. It's summer. I most likely will update faster. As soon as I stop crying about being a junior, ugh...anyway, read, review and enjoy!

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Chapter Seven

_I'd Better Be Praised_

_A Rebel Prince_

"Look, my mom will think it's suspicious if suddenly, for no reason what-so-ever, you were my friend again," I said as I leaned against the door, frowning darkly at the blank look on Riku's face. I swear, he was the most unreasonable person _ever_. Was I the only one who would think it odd to have someone I've been bitching about sense Middle School in my house? No, in my room? Mom knew damn well I hated him. Or, okay, maybe not hate him. But…well, damn; _now_ I'm confused.

My arms crossed over my chest and I glared at him, the jock shifting to lean against the wall on his shoulder. "If it wouldn't seem so damn suspicious, I'd let you in. But it's very suspicious. After all, you haven't been over my house in, what, three years?"

"Then we'll lie to her."

"Wait, you want me to lie to my mom?"

That was like telling me to bitch slap Zell; things like that would possibly get you beaten to a bloody pulp so fast, you're teeth would fall out like they did in cartoons. With a roll of his eyes, he pushed off the wall and stood in front of me, tapping my nose lightly with his index finger. "Relax, _sweetheart_. I'll do the talking, okay?"

"Whatever you say. And my name isn't _sweetheart_, **asshole**."

That earned a chuckle from him as he leaned close to me, hands reaching around me towards the door. But, naturally, Riku always found some way to grope me with it seeming entirely accident. His left hand slid down to my ass, slipping into my back pocket as his right hand grasped the door handle; or at least, that's how it sounded. The click of his class ring against the metal was audible enough for me to figure that, even when I wasn't facing the door. His hand gave a quick squeeze before he opened the door, smirking as he walked past me into my house; which was rude. I hadn't even invited him in, the bastard that he was.

"Sora, where have you been? I've been…oh. Riku?" My mom's voice went from annoyance to confusion in less then a second. Damn, I'd love to know how she did that. An actors voice, as they say. I closed the door behind us, looking towards my mom. She was guarded, a small frown on her lips, hair tied back in a messy bun that's only purpose was to keep the hair out of her eyes as she cooked. The scent of fresh food drifted towards me and I almost fainted; shit, I love roast beef. No two ways about it, I absolutely love the stuff.

"Hello Ms. Prince. How've you been?"

"I've…well, I've been fine these past…_three_ years. And yourself?"

I almost smiled at the question in her voice. The way she'd said three made it sound like Riku was up to something, too. Her eyes went from his face to me, an eyebrow raising. I shrugged, turning my face sullen as I looked away; no need to ruin Riku's little plan. Personally, I didn't think it was going to work, but whatever.

He glanced towards me before back towards my mother, giving a light shrug. "Well, I've been alright. Sora and me got assigned to do a project for P.E."

That got my attention really fast. _For P.E.? What the _fuck I thought, glaring at the back of his head out of the corner of my eyes. Yeah, alright. Why would we do a project for Physical Education? My opinion of his plan went from maybe to total idiot. And from the look on my mom's face, she didn't buy it either. Her eyebrow rose and she crossed her arms over her chest. "…for P.E.? What's this _project_?"

"Sora didn't tell you? Guess I'm not surprised, he doesn't want to do this anymore then I do. We were partnered up in class yesterday and told that during this week, we'd need to see where our partners physical attributes are. It's stupid, but Mr. Valentine would know if we were lying."

Well…now I was a little impressed. That excuse sounded almost plausible. Considering the Phys. Ed. Teacher was pretty strict, it made sense in a way for him to know if we were lying. I didn't know how, but Mr. Valentine could tell if you had dyed your hair a shade lighter from halfway across the hall. Observant; then again, he was also the Psychology teacher, so I supposed he had to be.

My mother seemed to buy that story, giving a small sigh. "I suppose…would you like to stay for dinner? Do you need to call your mom?"

"I'd love to eat over. And yeah, I'll call my mom from my cell." Riku glanced to me and I walked around him, careful to keep my face as blank as I could. In truth, I was fighting not to grin. That had been damned impressive; I wouldn't tell him that, no need to stroke his overly large ego anymore then others already had. My mom watched as we walked off, her lips pulled into a frown again. Overall, she seemed worried. I wasn't surprised. The fact I was with someone I had bad-mouthed for three years and wasn't making any bad comments about it was suspicious all on it's own.

I opened the door to my room, letting Riku in first before closing the door. Once the latch clicked into place, I grinned, looking back at him. "How the hell do you lie so well?"

"You sort of get used to it. I'm surprised you can't lie at all, other then with your expressions. And even that needs a little bit of work," he smirked and I rolled my eyes, watching as he looked around my room. For some reason, a gesture as small as that made me feel self-conscious; the alarm clock I'd tossed onto my bed just this morning, the posters I hung up whenever I had a hole in my wall or the ones that were scattered in the corners of the room. Not to mention the mirrored closet doors that refused to close without screeching.

He gave a nod, tossing the alarm clock onto the floor and sitting on the bed. "Nice. You always were the clean one. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you still are."

"You sound like my friends. They always say I need to buy a maid outfit."

"Hmm…you should. And wear it for my birthday."

"Or I could not and say I didn't."

"Party pooper."

I smirked at that and ran a hand through my hair, walking towards my closet and poking around through the clothes. In the mirror that was the door, I saw Riku studying the back of me; though on most occasions I would've blushed, I only smirked as a wicked thought sunk in. With only a slight backward glance, I removed the hoodie, letting it drop into the laundry basket in the closet. His reaction was to tense for a moment, a silver eyebrow raising curiously. "Why, Sora, are you going to strip for me?"

"Riku, do I look like the kind of person who would strip on the first date?"

"Well, no, but I'm very hopeful."

With a shrug, I walked closer to him, a small part of me wondering where my pride had gone. Hell, at least my dignity. Then again, the look he was giving me was worth loosing it. He leaned back on his hands as I stood on either side of his legs, slowly lowering myself so I was straddling him. Riku gave a small smirk, scooting himself back farther so he could balance himself without having to lean back; his hands, in turn, moved to my waist. Or rather, upper butt. Whatever you prefer to view it as.

I pressed my lips to his after a moment, feeling them part under mine without any needed resistance. This was sort of new for me. Following his advice and ignoring the voice in my head that was constantly telling me to stop was oddly comforting. Not that I'd tell him that. We were a little busy at the moment. As his tongue massaged mine, I shivered and ran my hands down the front of his shirt, the texture smooth under my fingers. I felt Riku's stomach contract and he broke the kiss to nip at my jaw line, causing me to tilt my head to the side slightly as I pulled his shirt up.

Without warning, something vibrated against my crouch; something that I can assure you was not good considering I didn't want to give up the goodies completely on the first day. I squealed, much like a three year old would, and fell backwards, locking my legs together as I stared up at Riku; who looked as surprised as I was, thankfully. He reached into his pocket, retrieving his cell phone, which was still vibrating. The little bastard. He gave a soft curse and looked down towards me. "I'll be right back, okay?"

I gave a nod, watching as he stood and unlatched the door, walking towards the bathroom. With a groan, I rested my forehead against the bed. Great. Riku's cellphone had just given me a hard-on and he decided to go to the bathroom; with my luck, he'd probably take a long time too…

_-------------------------------------------------_

_The Social Bandit_

His timing was absolutely horrible. Why would Seifer call me? Did I not tell him I would be busy after school? Now Sora was probably alone in his room, forced to solve his problem by himself. Someone better be dying or I was going to be totally pissed. Just picturing Sora having to remedy the vibration results was making me drool.

As I walked down the hall towards the bathroom, I paused beside the pictures that hung decoratively along the length of the wall. The first one was of Sora and his mother, a cute little boy with a grinning face, holding a dripping red popsicle and a beautiful woman with kind eyes. I couldn't help but notice that as times went on, things became increasingly less happy. Without me realizing, I began to walk down the hall again, slowly so I could take in the pictures. But beside the last one, I stopped completely.

It looked like he was having a party of some sort in the picture, probably last year by the looks of the people. Sora was sitting on the couch, blowing a raspberry to the person taking the picture, Rikku and Tidus on either side of him, doing the same thing. Cloud was in the background, holding a piece of cake away from Tifa, who was in mid-tackle to get it with Rufus watching nearby, a small smirk on his face. Elena was laughing as she wore Rude's sunglasses, who was trying to desperately get them back while Reno slept oblivious in the corner in a chair with Tseng writing notes about something or other beside him.

Despite the longing I suddenly felt, I smiled at the sight of it. I'd heard Zell talking about Sora throwing a party. He had been invited, but had only gone for a little bit, not long enough to be included in the picture. From what I'd heard, he'd be throwing another one this year. When, I wasn't sure. As I turned away and continued down the hall to the bathroom, I wondered if I'd be invited. A part of me was hoping while another was doubtful. Zell was cool with everyone; I was barely even alright in Sora's book.

With a sigh, I closed the door to the bathroom, locking it as an afterthought. I probably didn't need to, but it was habit. Flipping open my cellphone, I pressed speed dial for Seifer, putting the phone to my ear. After three rings, he answered, though voices were in the background. Yelling voices, proof that there was an argument going on. "Riku, what took you so long?"

"Sorry, I was busy…what the hell is going on?"

"One of Scarlet's girls did something stupid and she wants _us_ to be involved."

In the background, I heard the whore herself screech as if it weren't her fault this happened, though I rolled my eyes. That fight after school must have gone over badly. "What happened?"

"One of her girls got up with a glass bottle and struck at Rufus."

That got my attention. "**Shit**. Did it hit?"

"No, _thank god_. That Turk chick got in the way."

"That's not any better."

"Oh, but it _is_."

I frowned, raising an eyebrow. Alright, so hitting Rufus would have involved full force from all the groups allied with the Suits, but hitting Elena would do that anyway. With a sigh that sounded like he was enjoying himself, he set to explaining. "If Rufus had been hit, I couldn't have possibly bargained anything. The Suits don't need the help of the Rebels or the Neutrals to defeat the Sluts. So I made a deal with Rufus, one that he has yet to get back to me on. For us not to get involved, a person or two from each group will be with us until everything is over."

"…a person or two from each group? He can't possibly agree to give us those people."

"He will if he knows it'll keep things compact. If we get involved, the others will get involved."

It sunk in after he said that. "Ah-ha. And this way, the Sluts are _on their own _to get their asses kicked by the Suits."

"_Exactly_."

Something was nagging at me, though. Biting my lip, I seated myself on the sink and leaned back against the wall. "Which people are we _bargaining_ for, exactly?"

He said it as if he were talking about merchandise. "From the Rebels, Cloud and Sora, from the Neutrals, Tifa and from the Suits, Elena. Oh yeah, which reminds me, if he does agree to this like I know he will, who do you want?"

"Who do I…_want_?"

"It isn't like that. I wish it was, considering Tifa is in the deal, but they aren't allowed to be forced into doing anything _intimate_."

The fact Seifer was thinking about forcing things on someone like Tifa was odd. If he was a masochist, it would make sense, but he'd never seen him admittedly say he liked pain. Considering he was talking about Tifa that way, he had to want to get his ass kicked. "I want Sora."

"Sora? Oh, take all the fun out of it. But alright, you get him. Leon has already called Cloud and Zell doesn't want much to do with this, so he'll get whatever I _don'_t want, I suppose."

For some reason, that made me very cautious. Seifer was left with either Tifa or Elena, neither of which liked him in even the slightest. Tifa could handle herself and though Elena knew how to fight and could pack some serious power in her punches, she probably wasn't a match for Seifer. Being a mind reader now apparently, Seifer laughed at my silence. "Don't worry, Riku. I'm not planning on having my _filthy way _with either of them. Tifa I might give to Zell; would be a good sparring partner for him. And Elena…well, I doubt she'll stay in this agreement. The Suits will no doubt offer up someone else in place of her."

"…offer someone else?"

He didn't say much more on it, changing the subject and after a moment or so of him talking, I flipped the phone closed. A part of me was vaguely curious as to what Seifer was planning. Propositioning Rufus with this was a big bet. True, it'd be a bit more dangerous if the Jocks got involved, seeing as we tended to be reckless; then again, the Rebels were no pushover. Yeah, they might not seem like it, but Wakka and Tidus knew how to cause some serious damage. Plus, Rikku's daddy was leader of a manufacturing company; anything happened to her and the shit would hit the fan.

And as I said before, Sora could throw a ball like no one's business. He might not show it off, but he's got muscle hiding under those hoodies. With a sigh, I flipped the phone open again and after a brief conversation with my mom, closed it again. Now that everything was settled, it was time to get back to where Sora was waiting for me. Hopefully, still aroused. I slipped from the bathroom and began walking down the hall, almost bumping into Sora's mom. "Oh. Sorry, Ms. Prince."

"It's alright…" She watched as I walked past her, though she cleared her throat before I could reach Sora's door. "Riku…why are you _really_ here?"

I turned towards her again, a little more slowly this time. "What do you mean?"

"Sora has said nothing, but negative things about you and your friends for the past few years. And here you are; together like nothing ever happened. Sora doesn't care about failing a class, even if it is as simple as Phys. Ed. Which makes your story a little ridiculous, because you know that too. So tell me, Riku. Why are you here?"

That made me completely stupid for a moment. So much for being good at lying. His mom had always been really good at seeing through things. Now I knew why he couldn't lie to her. "I…I can't really tell you. I'm not sure if he'd be comfortable with you knowing. We only started talking again today….and we only started noticing each other again after Phys. Ed. So that's why I'm here."

Her brilliant sapphire eyes that were so much like Sora's pierced through me, studying me silently. For a moment, I thought she'd kick me out. But she turned away and began walking further down the hall. "Would you please tell Sora that dinner's ready? It'll get cold if you two wait _too_ long."

I watched after her silently before looking back to the wall of pictures. A part of me wondered if she missed the grinning little boy, the one who cried when his ice cream melted and the one who called for her whenever he was sad. I laughed after a moment and walked back towards Sora's room. How dramatic I'd become lately.

_-------------------------------------------------_

_The Reckless One_

"_Hmm…I suppose I'm like a dog. I speak when told, I attack when ordered. The one thing I've noticed though is that even the toughest dogs can be put down…"_

"Tseng, relax. Rufus said she'd been hurt, but she'll be fine."

I realized he didn't want my input as he glared at me _via_ rearview mirror, causing me to look away with a sigh. Truthfully, I hated sitting in the backseat, but it was better then being up there with the crazy older cousin. Especially given the current circumstances. It would teach Rude for pushing me down and making a run for the car so I'd get stuck in the back. Stupid jerk. If he weren't the smart part of our duo, I'd beat his head in.

We'd all been wondering if Elena was alright. I still didn't understand why she'd run off like that; it was almost like she'd been afraid of us being there. Seeing that expression on her face had hurt. After all, she was more like our sister, not a cousin. Ever sense we were younger, she'd always been tagging along. Tseng had always thought Elena would be better off playing with dolls instead of playing cops and robbers with us, but Rude and I had…no, we had actually thought so too. Rufus, I think, had been the one to convince us to let her play along. He'd always said, even back then, that people can surprise you, no matter what gender or how young. And she'd proved herself more useful then any of us would've thought possible. Proof that Rufus was a freaking genius, even from way back then.

I smiled at the memory, but blinked as the car slowed to a stop. Turning to look out the window, I rose an eyebrow at seeing four cars in Rufus' driveway. One I recognized as Cloud's and the second was obviously Rufus'. The third I was willing to bet was Tifa's, but the third baffled me. I didn't know anyone who had a car like that. And I knew _quite_ a few people.

As I climbed out of the back seat, I saw Tseng glaring at the fourth car as if it were poisonous, which immediately set me on edge. I might not know who this car belonged to, but Tseng obviously did and it most definitely wasn't one of our friends; leading me to be horribly confused. It they weren't part of our alliance, why were they at Rufus' home? Frowning, I walked ahead of Tseng, Rude right behind me as we approached the house.

The squeak of my sneakers on the floor was surprising, especially considering I was used to the clack of my brown dress shoes. Or rather, dress boots. It was odd not being in uniform, so to speak. Resting my hand on the handle of the door, I glanced back to Rude, who gave a nod; in the language of Rude, for those of you who are fluent, meant 'I've got your back'. Giving a bored sigh at his silence, I pushed the door open and almost died at seeing _him_ sitting in Rufus' living room. Only a _few feet _away from Elena.

Seifer smiled to us, waving a hand nonchalantly. "Oh, hey. We were wondering when you were going to show up."

I must have looked murderous at that moment because Rufus stood from where he sat across from Seifer at the coffee table, hands up. "Reno, breathe; it's alright."

"It's _alright_? Rufus, I apologize, but what the _fuck_? **He**, and by he, I mean the person who has helped make our lives, quite possibly, _hell_ for quite a few years, is _sitting_ in your living room. And _very _close to our cousin, might I add, _in case _you haven't noticed."

As Rufus sighed, I looked past him to Cloud and Tifa, both looking embarrassed by the situation. Or rather, Tifa looked embarrassed; Cloud was blatantly smirking, obviously agreeing with me whole-heartedly. And Seifer? Well, shit, who cares about him. But in case someone does, he was grinning in an amused way that made me want to take his face and show him what the inside of it would appear like on the floor.

Behind me, I could practically hear the air freezing as Tseng put a hand on my shoulder, lightly pushing me to the side. "Rufus…why is_ he _by Elena?"

I decided it would be in my best interest not to add anything to that, just watching as our leader walked towards Tseng. He took his arm and led him from the room, pausing to glance back at us. "Close the door, will you Rude?"

Then he disappeared into the kitchen with Tseng, their voices quiet enough to where I couldn't even hear them so much as breathe. I glanced to Rude as he closed the door obediently, standing in front of it like he was a bouncer and I snorted, looking away. If I had been him, I would've left it open. Shit, Rufus Shin-Ra had lost his mind. What was he thinking? Letting Seifer Almasy, leader of the Jocks, in his home without disinfecting everyone so they wouldn't get sick from just being near him.

The silence that settled down on everyone was…well, lets just say it was very uncomfortable. Seifer sat where he was, tapping his foot to a beat that only maniac's like him could hear while the rest of us shifted uncomfortably. Elena, blissfully sleeping, was the only one who didn't seem to notice the silence. Then again, her sleep was rather forced. Watching my youngest cousin silently, I gave a shrug and walked towards the couch; so what if Seifer was there. He could move if he didn't like me being near him. Which is something I wouldn't mind. Him a mile near Elena was too close.

I kneeled beside her head and lifted my hand, hesitating before brushing a few strands of hair behind one of her ears. She was warm to the touch, her blonde hair soft against my skin; it really didn't seem like someone had hurt her. It appeared that she was just sleeping, deep in a dream, but then I knew better then that. Elena was one of the lightest sleeper's I'd ever met; so much as a floorboard squeaking would wake her up, let alone me brushing her hair out of her face.

I heard someone clear their throat and glanced to the side, blinking at seeing Tifa holding a chair, smiling happily to me. Giving her a grin, I slid to the side, letting her put it down for me. "You know, I usually have to say a cheesy pick up line before a woman offers me a seat."

"Oh? I guess I'm just that easy."

"Well damn, I wish I'd known that sooner."

"Why? Would you have had your naughty way with me?"

"No, but I know this one guy, a close friend of mine, who's dying to ask you where you get your hair done. Which reminds me…where _do_ you get it done? Just for…curiosity, you know."

As she laughed, I noticed from the corner of my eyes Seifer watching us in silence, a speculating expression on his face. He looked like he was studying specimens in a tank; if he kept this up, I'd start getting seriously uncomfortable with having him this close. True, I still didn't understand why he was here, but it had to be for a good reason. Or, _at least_, for something business related. Rufus was our leader for a reason, not just because he had to the best connections, looked the most professional and all that crap.

"Did you get in touch with him?" Tifa's question brought me out of my thoughts, looking towards her to realize she'd been speaking to Cloud, not me. I hadn't even noticed he'd gotten up.

With a sigh, Cloud shook his head, sitting down again. "No…his mom said he's busy, but she'd tell him to call me back."

I frowned, giving a curious tilt of my head, "Who're you trying to get in touch with?"

"Sora. He's one of the people we need to talk about…something, but we'll have to do it without him, I guess."

The way he said it made me nervous. I didn't know why, but the tone just wasn't right. Before I could ask for more details on what 'something' was, the door to the kitchen opened and the uncomfortable silence returned to the room. Even Rude, not having moved from the door, shifted uncomfortably as Tseng walked back into the room with Rufus lagging behind. Though Tseng didn't look nearly as pissed as he had at seeing Seifer here, he was still obviously annoyed. Sitting in the armchair in the corner of the room, he glanced to Elena and his face softened a little.

Figuring this a better time then any to speak, I cleared my throat. "I told you she was alright. She isn't awake or anything, but I think she should be fine by tomorrow."

"A doctor now, are we?" The comment, surprisingly enough, came from Rude and not Tseng. I glared at him, though blinked and turned my gaze to Seifer as he laughed, studying my partner in crime with amused blue eyes. "I didn't now you spoke…interesting."

That irked me. Just a little. "And what's so…_interesting_…exactly?"

He turned towards me now, smiling slowly. "Nothing. I just thought he was a mute."

"Why? Because he doesn't talk to you? None of us do, last I noticed."

"Oh, relax. I'm not here to tease you, you know."

"Then what _are_ you here for, Seifer?"

"Just to relax in _your presence_, Reno."

I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it again, studying him with narrowed eyes. Okay. That comment left me just a little bit speechless. After all, it wasn't everyday that one of your enemies just came out and…flirted. Or whatever he just did, it confused me however you wanted to look at it.

Rufus sighed and returned to his seat, shaking his head. "Enough. Let's get this over with," he started, looking towards me before at Rude and then Tseng. "As I've already told Tseng, Seifer here has offered us a proposition. Or deal. However you want to look at it. For the Jocks not to be involved in the affairs between us and the Sluts, he wishes for a few members from our groups." I must have had a seriously disturbed look on my face because Rufus widened his eyes and shook his head hurriedly. "No, not like that, relax Reno. There is to be no forced contact, sexual or harmful, to the people we lend to them. They'll only be with them until after the unsettlement between the groups.".

I was silent for a moment. "…and who are these people?"

"Right to the point…," Rufus trailed off with a sigh before nodding to Seifer. The jock grinned and leaned comfortably on his hand, looking towards Cloud and Tifa, who met his gaze a little pointedly. "From the Neutrals, Tifa. From the Rebels, Cloud and Sora. And from the Suits…Elena."

Tseng's grip on the armrests of his chair tightened, but he didn't say anything, looking away angrily. Rude looked as if someone had struck him; his glasses having slid down from the bridge of his nose to rest just above the tip. He looked utterly speechless, not like anyway would notice. I didn't know how my expression looked, but Rufus didn't say anything, just watching me silently. Seifer seemed to be the only one loving this, looking happy if anything else.

A thought hit me and I glanced towards the blonde a few feet away from me, glaring. "How about a trade?"

Gaining a look that resembled boredom, he rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. "I won't settle for a lower member, you should know that…"

"Alright then, I trade her for me."

The silence was deafening. Seifer watched me as if I'd done something interesting, Rufus and Tseng both sharing the same wide eyed look while Rude shook his head slowly. "Reno, I don't…"

He was cut off by Seifer who held his hand out to me, obviously wanting to shake on it. "Now, now. It's his decision, Rude, let him make up his own mind. He is a _Junior_, after all."

If it was possible to make the title that meant upperclassmen sound dirty, he'd done it perfectly. I stared at his hand with a frown, wondering what I was signing myself to exactly. Glancing to Elena, it hit me that I was making sure she didn't get corrupted. Seifer didn't need to force someone or tempt someone to do something nasty for them to become dirty on the inside. That's just the way he was. A wonderful manipulator. Rufus was just getting enough wits about him to cancel the deal when I took Seifer's hand in my own, giving a nod.

When it comes to obeying Rufus…I suppose, in a sense, I'm like a dog. I speak when I'm told to, I attack when the order is given. But I've noticed that even the toughest mutt is put down without a glance spared.

Seifer's hand tightened around mine and he smirked, giving a slow nod. "_Won_derful. Cloud has been signed to Leon…Sora to Riku…," I noticed he had stopped shaking my hand, but still held it in his own, the grip tightening, "…Tifa to Zell and you…to me."

The silence that descended made me wish I was the one unconscious on the couch. Oh, Elena had better freaking praise me for this…

* * *

**Dark:** I love Reno. He makes things...what's the word I'm looking for? Funny.

**Reno:** I know you all love me, no need for applause.

**Dark:** Not to mention he was hilarious in Advent Children. Now, onto your reviews...

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**Mandeth:** Damn those typo's...I'm actually quite good when it comes to posting fighting. It's a little awkward when it comes to having to sort of fight with...myself in a sense, but it works out either way, apparently. I can't give up the goodies this soon in the game. I wish I could, because then Sora would've lost his virginity in the lock room. But that would ruin my need to interrupt everything. Like in this chapter, heh? Hope you like it!

**Serenity Cathedral:** I hope this one was worth the wait as well. Oh believe me, the war will be interesting...

**Largo-sensei:** It fits. Most stoners I know are totally on the floor, laughing their asses off most of the time. I thought it scattered as hell in the last chapter. Glad it made sense though, yay! I changed it a little though. I think Seifer would have more fun with a doof like Reno, so we'll see how the plot changes with him there.

**darkangel36:** Yay, I mess with the POV a lot. Like in this chapter, just Riku and Sora are mentioned this time.

**Heir to the World:** o.o ...here's an update!


	9. Can't Lie Through Lips

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plot or characters of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy**

**Dark:** ...it is just me or does this text look small...

**Sora:** You're probably just seeing things.

**Dark:** Yeah, maybe. Anyway, hello again! I guess I've gone back to my monthly schedule. Which was a chore because, for some reason, this was quite hard to write. I dont know why, it just was. It might have been because I wanted to say thanks for over 50 reviews? It isn't explicit, so those of you squeamish about certain things, don't worry.

**Sora:** Ugh...why behind a dugout? Honestly...

**Dark:** Be happy it was only a hand job and I didn't make him rape you. Anyway, Read and Review!

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**Warning: For those of you who have just been reading this just to read it and don't like anything shonen-ai, skip Sora's section. Why? Honestly, read the A/N. Those of you who quite enjoy that thing, ignore this as you've probably read the A/N. Happy reading!**

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Chapter Eight

_Can't Lie Through Lips_

_A Loyal Subject_

I wasn't sure when I woke up the first time. All I knew was that it was still light out; it was dim, trying to pierce through the yellow curtains that had been pulled over a window. I might have dreamed that part though. Really, maybe me waking up that first time was just a realistic dream; who can really say. After letting my head roll to the side, I began to drift off again, the vision of my cousin's flaming red hair the last thing I saw before fading into the dreamscape again.

Waking up the second time, I forced myself to stay awake a bit longer. I caught bits and pieces of a conversation revolving around the Jocks; something about a deal that had been made. Reno sounded tired, but annoyed while, I think Rufus, sounded angry albeit confused. I smiled at hearing him; it was so typical. When he understood the reasons people did something, but didn't know whether to be angry or understanding, he got that way. The last thing I heard before fading away again was my name. I tried desperately to keep listening, but the ache from the glass bottle smashing against the back of my head was roaring my senses, forcing me back into darkness.

I jerked awake the third time. Not in the way you might be thinking; I didn't look like a zombie, trying to animate myself. At least, I hope not. My eyes flew open and I took a deep breath, staring at the ceiling. The light from before was gone; replaced by the deep, dark blue that the Earth seems to become at night when you adjust to the darkness. Slowly, I let myself relax, a hand raising to sweep strands of blonde away from my face. There was no telling what time it was. Just from the yellow curtains by the window, I knew I was in Rufus' living room; the only clocks in his house were in the kitchen, his room and his parents room.

After a moment of sorting through my thoughts, I finally realized there was a weight just by my hip; thinking it was a pillow or just the blanket bunched up, I reached a hand down to move it or straighten it. As my fingers brushed against the soft strands of someone's hair, I froze. The head beneath my hand shifted, the person probably having been woken up thanks to me, though they quickly snuggled into whatever their head was resting on and drifting back to sleep. Looking down slowly, my breath caught; the strawberry blonde strands beneath my fingers were all too well groomed to belong to just anyone. It was then I realized that what I had thought was a blanket, wasn't; it was a coat. A white coat. Rufus' coat.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly pulled myself into a sitting position, using the backrest of the couch to help me; the sharp pain in the back of my mind wasn't enjoyable, but so long as I didn't rush myself, it didn't hurt too bad. Raising the hand from the couch, I felt the area where the bottle had shattered. Yeah, that was going to be a fairly nice sized bump for a while. Letting out the breath I had been holding, I looked back to Rufus. He was sleeping in the clothes he'd worn earlier, using his arms as his pillow, legs cross to the side under him. That had to be terribly uncomfortable.

Looking around the room, I found myself smiling. There they were; Tseng in the armchair, Rude by the door and Reno…either completely invisible or not here. The smile turning into a frown, I looked around; feeling, you know, a little hurt. Of all people to see me when I'm injured in some way, I expected Reno to be one of the first. True, we might not be the closest, but he was still high on my list of caring relatives.

"Ah, you're awake."

Cursing, I turned to look where the voice came from. Reno blinked and looked towards Rude as he shifted, though the male only rolled over, snoring softly again. Tseng and Rufus didn't so much as snort in their sleep from my outburst. Letting my gaze travel back towards the red head, I frowned. "How long was I asleep?"

"Hmm…a while. It's been…oh, I suppose anywhere from eight to ten hours." He spoke casually, shrugging to himself more then me as he seated himself on the other couch where he'd no doubt been resting. The top half of his blue suit was missing, his white dress shirt only buttoned up to mid-chest. His boots were beside the couch and his blue pants had been replaced with black pajama bottoms; considering I didn't live with Reno, I wondered if those were his or Rufus'. Him borrowing from our boss must have made Tseng gap with scorn. The thought made me smile.

"Thinking of something funny?"  
"Eh…well, I suppose so."

For a moment, we didn't really say anything. It wasn't awkward; anything quiet with Reno was either a blessing or him actually considering what he was going to say. It didn't happen often, but we usually listened when he thought about what he was saying. "…I think Rufus has a thing for you."

Alright, never mind, he's an idiot all the time. "What're you _talking about_?"

"Well, whenever we get hurt, you notice he doesn't sleep by us?"  
"…he did by Tseng that one time."  
"That's because he didn't want to be alone."

Oh…well, he had me there. The first time Tseng had gotten seriously hurt, he'd been scared shitless. We all had, considering a lot of our enemies fought dirty. And, also considering Tseng had been hurt in his own house, I can understand why he was afraid to be alone. So Rufus stayed there, along with us and I think Cloud and Sora, too; which is usually why he's also careful to watch over for the Rebels. Paying back the debt, as he would say.

"Reno…maybe it's because I'm the girl of the group?"  
"That sounds sexist, especially from you."  
"I know, but that can't be right. Rufus possibly liking me."  
"And why is that?"

For a moment, I didn't know how to answer. I wanted to say it was because he was older by two years or because I'd known him since I was a little girl, but that would have just helped Reno prove his point. My gaze slid to Rufus slowly, watching his back rise and fall in sleep; one of my hands slowly ran over the material of his coat until it was beside him. All I would need to do is raise a finger and I could touch his hair. Instead I let my hand slide more to the side, just barely letting my palm cover the back of his barely visible hand.

"Elena…," Reno paused, as if not sure of how to continue. For the life of me, I wish I could've said something fake. Even a lie would've worked. With a sigh, I lifted my hand from Rufus' and instead used it to push a few strands of hair away from my face.

"You know, " I started, smiling as I looked towards the red head, "We've known Rufus for a long time. Almost…what, ten years for me, eleven years for you and Rude, twelve for Tseng? In all those years, I've been wondering how he sees us. As lackeys, family or maybe just friends."

Reno didn't say anything, so I continued. "I've come to the conclusion that we are in a whole different category. One that only people like Rufus and Cloud and Sora can create. I guess what I'm trying to say is…if he were to return any sort of feelings for me, they would be strictly in that category. However far that category goes."

Putting my hands behind me, I slid back using the armrest; lightly pushing the coat off me and onto Rufus. Easing myself off the couch so I didn't wake him, I stood and shrugged as I looked back towards Reno. "Besides. We all know that the dreams from kids like us are ignored."

I began walking towards the bathroom, Reno sitting up, looking like he was going to follow me. I laughed and held up my hands in defensive pose number thirteen. "Relax, couch potato. I'm going to take a shower. You really don't need to help me with that."

He snorted, but relaxed again, watching until I disappeared from view. Really, I think I would've hit myself if I'd known at the time; the small notion of me putting my hand over Rufus' had woken him up. And he'd heard _everything_ I'd said. I can be really stupid sometimes…

_-------------------------------------------------  
__A Rebel Prince_

"You _knew_! You rat-faced bastard, how could you _not _tell me?"

I was beyond pissed at that point. It wasn't until Cloud told me, before school started, about this little agreement between the groups. Though I had tried to be angry at him, he did call; it wasn't his fault I hadn't bothered to call him back when my mom gave me the message. Plus, he was in the same boat as I. So I took out my anger on the next best person; Riku. Who'd known about it since _yesterday._ It was a good thing he'd been given a glove in P.E. today because I was showing him just how fast and how hard I could throw the damn baseball. Giving me serious, albeit immature, satisfaction each time he caught it; watching the wince spring to his face before it vanished into a neutral expression.

"After I agreed to trust you." Catch ball. Throw ball. See wince.  
"After what I did with you." Catch ball. Throw ball. See wince.  
"After…well, shit, after everything!" Catch ball. Throw ball. See…it completely miss his glove?

Riku had moved that time, removing the glove and rubbing his palm, which was a bright red. "Alright, Sora, I get it. I am an asshole. I should have told you. I understand why you're mad. But isn't it enough that I saved you from being stuck with Seifer?"

"Yeah, I'm grateful. No, I'm beyond grateful about that, but why didn't you tell me?"  
"…we were kind of busy and that would've killed the mood."  
"Killed the…that was Seifer? On the phone yesterday?"

If he'd thought that would help his case, he was so wrong. So very wrong. Though we had indeed continued our ministrations, nothing beyond kissing without shirts had happened. Which I was now oh-so very happy about now. Without another thought, I walked up to him and pushed him; he stumbled and fell against the dugout, frowning as he glanced towards me. We stared at each other for a moment, me glaring and him just staring. It was a good thing we were the only ones back here; anyone else would've thought we were about to have a fight. Which, I wasn't doubting right now.

"This is so fucking stupid. Why are mad? Because I didn't tell you?"  
"_Yes_, that's why. And it's not fucking stupid, asshole."  
"I didn't tell you because _you_ would've probably _kicked me out _of your house."  
"What, so it was alright to say _nothing_ was wrong?"  
"Because nothing is wrong, so get the _fuck _over it."

That did it. I literally flung my glove off; if anybody had been watching, this is where they would've screamed fight. My fist flew without me even thinking about it, connecting with the side of his face. Riku stumbled and I brought my hand back to hit him again; only to have him lurch forward, grasping the front of my grey shirt and swing me around, slamming me against the dugout. I winced as I was pressed against the dull grey concrete, though didn't have much time to remember how I'd ended up there. Riku pulled me off the hard surface and spun me around, following through when he pushed me back this time.

I was about to yell at him again, though his mouth closed over mine, silencing me completely. He kissed me with enough force to bruise, leaving me with the impression that my lips would most likely be swollen when he let me breathe. _If_ he let me breathe. Was it possible to die by kiss? I raised a hand and pushed at his shoulder, only to have his hand close around my wrists and hold them above my head, pressed against the dugout.

This would be molestation, I believe, if I weren't a little willing. Hell, I was more then willing; even if I'd been pissed before. His thigh forced its way between mine as he got closer, his free hand pushing under the hem of my shirt and sliding just past the top of my workout pants. I froze and pulled against his grasp, remembering this was a very bad place to start doing this.

As his hand began to slide lower, I forced my head to the side, breathing heavily as I struggled to talk. "No, n-not here."

He ignored me, I noticed, and instead busied himself with my ear, biting the lobe hard. I cried out, taking my swollen lower lip into my mouth so as not to alert our whole class to the naughty things happening across the field. Hearing no one running to check out what the noise has been, I let out a breath, only to have it freeze halfway through my throat as I felt Riku's hand slide around me.

Every thought I had was completely erased. There is no other explanation for it, they just disappeared. As he began to move his hand along my shaft, I groaned and felt myself beginning to slide down the dugout surface; his hand let go of my wrists and he pressed closer, slightly to the side now so as to not disturb what he was currently doing. Which was driving me insane; slowly, but steadily insane.

My now free hands gripped the fabric of his shirt, clinging to his shoulders as I buried my face into the junction of his neck. "Nnnn…Riku…th-this isn't…a good p-place."

"You want me to stop?" His grip tightened to where I could feel the ridges in his fingers just barely, moving his hand faster so I couldn't even wrap my mind around anything other then what he was doing. Did I want him to stop? What, was he fucking _stupid_? No, I didn't want him to stop. But considering where we were, it was risky doing this…oh. Naturally, I'd remember his advice from yesterday. Funny how I couldn't think of anything, but things involving him right now.

"N-no…but…R, Riku-"  
"Then enjoy it and try not to be too loud."

Easy for him to say. "H…how…?"

He turned his face to the side, his cheek lightly resting against my neck, letting me feel his lips pull into a smirk. "You want to use my shoulder?"

I think he had been kidding at the time, but I did it anyway. My hand pulled his sleeve lightly out of the way and I hesitantly let my mouth close over a portion of his shoulder, biting down. I heard him gasp, but he didn't stop, instead picking up the pace enough to where I was moaning and whimpering through my teeth. As I felt myself teetering on the edge of no return, the hand that had at one time been holding my wrists touched my cheek and I let go of his shoulder to glance towards him. He stared at me in silence, lowering his lips to mine and kissing me; all it took after that was the brush of his tongue against the roof of my mouth to send me falling into the abyss.

Truthfully, the space between me completely ruining the inside of my pants and me using him as my sole support was blank. I couldn't see anything other then the black clouds that had invaded my vision. After they had vanished, I was leaning against him, legs totally useless while he licked the side of his hand clean. Yeah, seeing that really helped me think clearly. Once an ass, always an ass, no matter how many times he's turned me on.

"…wasn't I mad at you?" Ah, finally. A solid thought.

Riku paused in his shifting of me and snorted, taking a step back to help me stand on my own; least, that's what I think he had planned on doing. He cursed as he suddenly lost his balance and fell, in all his flailing glory, landing on his back with a thud. Unfortunately, my legs weren't ready to listen to my brain yet and I went down after him, bracing my arms on either side of the jock to keep from totally squishing him. He brought himself up onto his elbows, looking past me; I followed his gaze and eyed the baseball we'd neglected to pick back up. Funny how an inanimate object is in the perfect spot like that.

As I turned back to him, I felt his hand slide through my hair and pull me closer, brushing his lips over mine. At first, I expected him to kiss me like he had before, but soon I realized it wasn't anything like the kiss from today. I wasn't sure how to take this kind of tenderness, especially from someone as unrelenting as Riku.

When he pulled away from me, all I could do was stare at him…and then it hit me. He'd just given me a hand job behind a dugout. And that I was pressed very close to him right now. Riku gave me a smug smile and I glared down at him, pushing him back down as I stood up. "You're a pig."

"Oh, I'm sorry for being male."  
"What do you think I am?"  
"Well, _now_ I know you're a guy."

I blushed and kicked the jock in the knee, walking away as he cursed and held the abused limb to him. As usual, the immature satisfaction was there. No matter how old one became, it was always funny hearing people complain about such a momentary pain. When I was on the other side of the dugout, I paused, wondering if I should wait for him. Alright, true, he'd pretty much had his way with me so I wouldn't be so pissed. Or maybe it was so I wouldn't hit him again. Either way, he'd still done something for me. Technically.

With a grunt, I settled down by the dugout; the others kids in the class were still throwing the ball around. All with an absolutely horrible form, might I add. Snorting as one followed through with his pitch and fell on his face, I raised a hand to my lips. It felt as if Riku were still kissing me. I couldn't explain it. The way he'd pressed his lips to mine was just so different then how he usually did. Even at my house, when we were alone, he hadn't kissed me that way.

"Hey, you coming?"

I jumped as I heard Riku's voice, letting my hand fall away from my lips when I turned towards him. He had his glove over his hand, holding the ball in it with my glove under his other arm. Glancing towards the field, I realized we were heading inside, our P.E. teacher, Vincent Valentine, watching from the shade of the door. I wonder if he had a skin condition; that would certainly explain why he was almost never out in broad daylight. Or he was a vampire. But I wanted to believe skin condition.

"C'mon, we don't have all day." As I turned back to him, I realized he'd begun moving on without me. Giving a sigh, I jogged after him, slowing to a walk once I had pulled up beside him. We were the only ones left on the field; Mr. Valentine watched us for a moment before putting the door stopper in place and disappearing inside, deciding we'd walk in without his supervision.

Glancing towards Riku for a moment, then around to make sure we were truthfully alone, I directed my hand into his. I felt him tense when I grasped his hand and was about to pull away when he tightened his own grip, his fingers twining with mine. As we got closer to the school, he pulled my hand up to his lips, kissing one of my knuckles softly.

I watched with a smile, feeling that small part of me that questioned Riku's intentions so often beginning to warm up. When we entered the school, we let our hands fall away from each other, going to our separate lockers. It didn't matter how often a part of me doubted him; there was no way he could lie through his lips…

_-------------------------------------------------  
__An Independent Leader_

"Can you believe her? I call her out in the hallway because her group is talking about me and what does she do? Completely ignores me! If that bitch thinks she can ignore me with that damned smile and not yell back at me, she has another thing coming!"

I honestly think something is wrong with Yuffie. Her current topic of annoyance was Aeris, leader of the Preps. From what the ninja had said, Aeris' group has been talking about her behind her back and when Yuffie yelled at the senior about it, all the other woman had done was smile in apology and walk away. Really, I didn't see the problem. At least no one had tried bitching at Yuffie for yelling at Aeris.

Obviously, Tifa and Rufus didn't see the problem either. They looked towards each other in confusion, Tifa saying hesitantly, "Um…Yuffie, what did you _want_ her to do?"

"Yell back at me! I mean, damn, make me look like a fool by just smiling all sad like when I'd totally bitched at her…"

Rufus sighed, leaning on a hand as he watched us talk, not seeming to really be paying attention. As I studied him, I wondered if something was wrong. It wasn't often he was this quiet. The thought was whisked away though as the bell rang and I looked up towards the clock, standing with my books and following the others out of the class.

It was funny how disinterested Mr. Kuja was in actually making us work the entire fifty five minutes of Biology. Every day, as soon as there were fifteen minutes left of class, he'd tell us to have fun the rest of the hour. So long as we didn't break his shit or do anything totally obscene on the biology tables. I remembered the day we'd decided to test if he was serious and I smirked, opening my locker; there had been one day when Tifa and Yuffie had 'experimented' his rule on the table with Rufus and I pretending to film. Mr. Kuja had taken one look and sighed, burying his face in his hands while gesturing for them to separate. Needless to say, it had been a fun fifteen minutes.

Just as I shoved the last of my books in my locker, the door slammed shut and I hardened my gaze, turning a glare to the person who'd done it. When I saw Leon, the look softened, though became just as frigid again when his didn't soften up. "Starting today, you'll be helping me in the weight room instead of going to lunch."

"Just because we made that agreement doesn't mean I have to give up my lunch to help you with every little thing," I kept up the act, crossing my arms over my chest. Both of us were roughly the same height, so it made it easy to glare face to face with him. Leon rose an eyebrow, a great show of emotion, especially coming from him.

"Is that so? I guess I'll just go tell Seifer you're not abiding by the agreement," Leon shrugged, turning away and starting to walk down the hall. With an annoyed sigh, I walked after him, the kids in the halls either smirking or glaring as we passed. It was easy to see the ones that didn't like me listening to him while just as easy to tell who thought this was absolutely hilarious.

When we rounded the corner and the remaining students disappeared, I let my look soften and walked up beside him. "Help you out in the weight room?"

"It's where I usually go during lunch, so it's believable."  
"…why don't you each lunch?"  
"I do eat lunch. Just not in the cafeteria."

As we approached the room where the jocks usually worked out, I gave a thoughtful nod. I suppose it made sense. Leon hated being around lots of people and avoiding the cafeteria was just another way to make himself comfortable. Then again, it could also be because he was avoiding Scarlet. The fact Seifer had told her to try going after Leon was just plain disgusting; no telling what kind of disease that whore could give you.

I walked past him when he held the door open for me, letting it slide closed behind him. When he walked deeper into the room, I stared around, raising an eyebrow. I had always known the school was quite adept when it came to their sports education, but I hadn't ever realized just how much exercise the jocks went through to keep their strength up. There were various exercise machines all laid out around the room, including on the walls; I would say where they were for, but the thing I'd ever done for exercise for wrestle with my other friends. Sometimes I won and sometimes I didn't.

When I heard the churn of a CD player, I turned to look where Leon had gone. Stepping around one of the exercise machines that seemed to be focused on strengthening the legs, I saw him in the corner, messing with a stereo. A moment later and I heard the pleasant sounds of Say Anything blasting through the speakers in every corner of the room. Smirking, I walked over to the stereo and poked through the random CD's. "Wow, I'm impressed. You guys like our music."

"What did you expect us to listen to? Aqua?"  
"Hey, you never know. Doesn't everyone want a Barbie girl?"  
"I suppose. Maybe that's why I like you."

I blushed, turning to glare at him as the brunette sat himself on the edge of a cushioned dumb bell bench. Did he seriously just make a joke? With a frown, I put down the disc's I'd been skimming through, walking towards him cautiously. He rose an eyebrow as he stared up at me and I raised a hand, putting it over his forehead. "Are you okay? I mean, you just made me look like an idiot…"

He stared at up at me for a moment, before reaching up and grabbing my collar, pulling me closer to him. "Least I did it while we were alone…"

I just stared at him, though soon my gaze slid around the room. He was right, we were alone. Which, if I understood correctly was he was implying, worked entirely in our favor. Smirking, I slid forward until I was kneeling over with my legs on either side of his; this made me a bit taller, but was less awkward then sitting beside him.

My hands ran through his deep brown hair, the soft locks parting underneath my fingers. Gripping the strands once my hands were where I wanted them, I made him tilt his head back, my lips hovering over his. We stared at each other from inches away, though he closed his eyes first, his hand lifting to pull me down; once our lips were touching, I knew neither of us were willing to give up the dominance. I smirked through the kiss and I felt him do the same only seconds before he forced us to fall forward, hands braced on either side of me.

With my hands still locked in his hair, I couldn't do much to stop my own fall and I cursed as he took the lead, biting my lower lip so I'd open my mouth. When he'd just barely gotten access, I let go of his hair and pushed him over, rolling on top of him. Before he could do the same to me, I scooted higher up so I was basically sitting on his chest, hands gripping his wrists and pinning them down on either side of him. Before I could adjust my grip to keep them down, he jerked his hips up and I effectively lost my grip, the jock pushing me the way I had him.

He kneeled on top of me, grabbing my wrists and holding them down above me, earning him a rather frigid glare. Leon just smirked and leaned down, kissing me softly. "Don't be mad. You gave me the idea after all."

"Shut up, ass." I cursed myself as he took the chance to kiss me, trying to pull my arms out of his grip. He just chuckled at my attempts and I glared up at him before thinking, _screw it_, and returning his kiss. Though it had always been nice to kiss someone, whether they be boy or girl, I noticed it felt freaking awesome when you actually liked them. The only girl I'd felt that way about, honestly, was Tifa. Despite the fact she didn't turn me on sexually, kissing her at any time was like getting a glimpse of heaven. It was similar with Squall, but it actually did more for me then just give me a glimpse. I was there, floating in the atmosphere, in a high that I couldn't get down from.

I felt his hands beginning to slide down my arms, freeing my wrists from his grasp, almost hesitantly, like I'd fight back. As I had given in, fighting him was the last thing I wanted right now. Lowering my arms to wrap them around his shoulders, I pulled him closer to me, Leon pausing in his kiss, as if surprised. A moment later and he returned to what he'd been doing, arms wrapping around my waist as the brunette pulled himself so he was sitting instead of laying atop me, bringing me into his lap. I smirked against my lips, breaking the kiss to stare down at him. He returned the smirk, though paused, looking confused for a moment.

"What's wrong?"  
"…I think I'm forgetting something…"  
"Forgetting something…oh yeah, what about lunch? Not that this isn't absolutely delicious, you know."

I made him chuckle and leaned in for another kiss, but right as our lips touched against, the door opened. "Sorry Squall, but there was this huge line outside of that fast food…place. Oh my…"

Leon turned to look at Zell, who's bottom jaw probably would've hit the floor if the bones in his mouth were elastic. I blushed and slid off the jock, hands covering my face once I sat across from him, back against the wall. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Zell cleared his throat, the sound high pitched at first. "So…the kid with the flu I probably didn't know a few nights ago was…"

I looked up to see Leon nod and he shrugged when I rose an eyebrow. When did I have the flu? Whatever. Zell looked from me to Leon before shaking his head. "Oh wow…first Riku is acting strange and now you and Cloud are having fun in the weight room. Why didn't you lock the door?"

"I guess we forgot," Leon said nonchalantly, shifting so he was a bit closer to me. It made me smile and I looked towards Zell as he did that 'awww' thing, picking up the bags and setting them beside us. Before I could get anything out of the bags though, Zell held out a hand to me, smiling.

I looked to the hand before towards the kick boxer, just a little confused. He reached forward when I didn't take it, putting both of his hands around mine. When I looked to Leon, he smirked and nodded to Zell. "Well? Introduce yourself."

"…what the hell are you talking about?"  
Zell laughed. "We're starting over."

That earned him a raised eyebrow. "Starting over?"

"Yeah. I only know you as Cloud Strife, the Independent Leader of the Rebels; youngest of them all," the way Zell had said it almost made me sound like something impressive. Which just plainly confused me, considering I was just like him, only I didn't try as hard to make everyone feel equal when Seifer wasn't around.

"How do you want to know me?"

"Oh…well…," he paused and released my hand to scratch the back of his head, "Well damn…I just sort of want to know who you really are. I know, I'll start, okay? Then you can get the general idea of what I mean."

Zell cleared his throat and held out his hand again. This time I put mine in his and with a grin, the kick boxer shook it, giving me a small nod. "My name is Zell Dincht and most people around school know me as the kick boxer of the jocks. But all I strive for is to show those that when I'm alone or when I'm only with the other non-leading members of the jock group, you are my equal…and I am yours…"

I just watched him for a second, though found a smile curving across my face. Alright, I know Zell has always been a nice guy. But honestly, even I hadn't thought that so long as Seifer wasn't around, he'd treat me like he would his friends. Placing my other hand over his, the other blonde blinked, looking at his covered before letting his gaze lift to my face.

"My name is Cloud Strife and just about everyone knows me as the independent leader of the rebels, as you've said. And…honestly? All I want to do is show those who find themselves without a meaning in life to realize just how absolutely wonderful they are…"

For some reason, I had the weirdest feeling that this secret friendship would be the downfall of not only the Rebels. But the Jocks as well…

* * *

**Dark:** Ta-da! Was Sora's section alright? Honestly, tell me what I need to improve. This would be my first time actually writing things past making out. Blah... 

**Sora:** It sucked, we hate you, go back to playing Star Ocean...

**Dark:** ...you know what, keep that attitude and I'll have Albel rape you, not Riku. Anyway, to your reviews!

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**Mandeth:**Yeah, I use spell check, but it doesn't always catch the things with the wrong meaning. I sort of made Sora's mom the type who has to play both roles, so she has to notice things. I mean, wouldn't your mom notice if a friend you didn't talk to for around three years pop back into your life? Reno makes me giggle. He's on of my favorite people in AC. Juniors...oh god, don't remind me. I'm not ready to be older x.x 

**Serenity Cathedral:** Yeah, the war will be vicious. Much fighting between the Suits and the Sluts. I'll try to fit it in with Reno on the next section, but it all depends. Rude might make an appearance or Tseng, but, like I said,it depends. Glad you like me using him, hope you like this chapter!

**Largo-sensei:** Did what you thought would happen, happen? I didn't even know this was going to happen, actually. Stupid urge to say thanks for over 50 reviews...

**darkangel36:** Yes, much, much stuff. Confusing, no?

**Heir to the World:** Maybe, maybe. Knowing Seifer, you never can guess the kind of chaos he can create. Whoo! Party down.

**F-chan1:** Look! More Riku and Sora goodness!

**MyraHellsing:** You know what, I am actually really tempted to make it a Seifer/Reno thing, but thatmight mess up the ending. So I can't. Or it would help it...either way, I'm not sure yet. Guess we'll find out.

**bliss:** Really? Oh my god...my story is like a drug. Is it a good thing that it's addictive or horribly wrong? Anyway, thanks!

**Anakin:** Oh wow...I'm not really sure what to say to this one.The first time I read your review, I was speechless. Honestly, thanks for saying that.

**Youko-Kuronue:** Haha, that's funny. Of course I can't hint at what's going to happen, dear. Um...with patience and many dirty thoughts?

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